LOST Campus
by GuitarHeroLost
Summary: A story of LOSTies in high school Sana Jacket Shayid Chaire Jun Hubby. Not your normal Lost High school fic. Ignore what I said in the beginning of the first chapter, not Skate anymore, got it?
1. Like a True Family

**Hey this is my first fic… I've been planning it for ages!!!!**

**Disclaimer- …I…don't…own…LOST!!!! There I said it.**

**Pairings-(eventual) Skate, Jacket, Shayid, Chaire, Hubby, Jun, Des/Pen, and my own pairing that I'm very proud of… Boonana!!!**

"Great job, Austen. Best I've seen today."

"Thanks, coach," Kate said, panting. She began walking back towards the school. She was glad that track tryouts were the day before school. Now, all she had to do was find out what dorm she was in.

"Excuse me?" Kate turned around. A girl with long blonde hair and an Australian accent stood there. "Did he just call you Austen? Katherine Austen?"

"Kate," she said. "It's Kate. But yeah, that's me. Katherine Austen. Why?"

"Oh," the girl said. "I'm Claire, Claire Littleton. You're my roommate."

Kate smiled. "Nice to meet you, Claire. Is it just us? In the room? What room is it? Have you been there? Is it cool?"

"I have not," Claire said. "I have not seen our room. It's 108A, and I need to find someone else-Shannon Rutherford?"

They began walking down the hall, in search of Shannon. It was a huge crowd, the halls were crammed full of people and they could barely move.

"Okay, there is no way we can find a 'Shannon Rutherford' in this mess," Kate said wearily.

"Shannon Rutherford?"

Claire and Kate turned around to see a brown-haired boy standing and looking at them.

"She's in there," He said, pointing to the girls' bathroom.

"Thanks," Claire and Kate said and Claire walked into the bathroom.

Just as a huge group of people walked by, Kate turned around and yelled to the boy, "What's your name?"

She heard the guy's voice answer, "Boone!" before she turned around and hit someone, falling to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, are you okay?" Kate looked up. A boy with his hand extended.

"It's fine, thanks," Kate muttered, embarrassed. She took the boy's hand.

"I'm Jack," he said, pulling her up. Someone suddenly shoved into them, yelling, "Watch it!"

"I'm Kate," Kate said, ignoring the person who shoved them. "Well…. See you around, Jack."

Kate hurried into the bathroom after Claire, embarrassed.

"Where were you, Kate?" Claire said. "Oh, never mind. Kate this is Shannon, Shannon, this is Kate." Kate said hi to a tall blonde girl.

"How did you guys no I was in here, anyway?" Shannon said.

"Someone named Boone," Kate said quickly. "He told us you were in here."

"Oh yeah," Shannon said. "I have to meet him out there… He's my brother." Shannon added, seeing their confusion. They nodded in understanding. "I'll go see our room first."

They headed over to room 108A and Claire opened the door. The room was fairly large, for a dorm. It had two bunk beds on either side.

"I call top bunk!" Shannon yelled, flinging her bags onto the top bunk. Kate and Claire looked at each other. "I'll take bottom," Kate and Claire said simultaneously.

"But we have an extra bed," Claire said, confused.

"Oh THAT'S convenient," Shannon muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. All three girls looked at each other in silence, then, unanimously, burst out laughing, just like a true family.


	2. This School is Alright

**Chapter 2**

After the laughter died down, and they went and said good-bye to their parents, they decided to go visit their neighbors…. Their male neighbors, in room 108B. They headed down the hall. Kate knocked on the door.

"This is kind of weird," Claire said nervously, to break the silence.

"What's taking so long," Kate grumbled. She turned around. "Should we just go?"

"No, try again," Claire and Shannon argued back. Kate turned around and stepped towards the door which was now open. She ran into the person who opened the door, and fell to the ground.

"Kate, why do we keep meeting like this?" Kate looked up. It was Jack. He extended his arm. Kate could hear Claire and Shannon laughing behind her. She scrambled up.

"We were, uh, just coming to… meet you guys…. We live next door," She stuttered. Jack nodded his approval and motioned for them to come in. They slowly entered the dorm. It looked somewhat like theirs', with a two bunks on either side of the room. A boy strumming on a guitar sat on top of one, and a guy with a pile of pillows around his bed was lying under him. On the other side was a boy reading on the bottom bunk. Jack hopped up on the bed above his.

"Don't be shy, come in," Jack said. "Sit on our beds. We don't have chairs up yet, sorry." Immediately, the boy reading his book threw his legs onto the bed so there was no way anyone could sit there. Jack, on the other hand, scooted over, the boy playing guitar put his guitar aside, and the guy with pillows around his bed kicked some over. Shannon headed over to his bed, Kate hopped up with Jack, and Claire sat with the guitar-player.

"Guys, this is Kate and whom I assume are her roommates," Jack announced. Claire and Shannon said their names. "Kate, Claire, Shannon, this is Sawyer," he slapped the bunk under him, "Sayid," he pointed to the barrier of pillows, "and Charlie," he indicated the guitar player across from him. "And I'm Jack," he added quickly.

"His name is James," Sayid said, revealing a noticeable accent.

"It is not, Muhammad," Sawyer growled angrily. His eyes widened with realization. "Oh, crap," he muttered. It was all so quick. Sawyer threw himself down as Sayid pulled out a slingshot and suddenly, Sawyer yelled "Ow!" and picked up an eraser. "Dang, Muhammad, you've got sharp-shooting skills." Sawyer muttered angrily, tossing the eraser back in frustration.

"My real name is James, but everyone calls me Sawyer," Sawyer grumbled.

"So anyway," Shannon said nervously, breaking the tension. "I hear that at this school they have, like, a ton of dances. Like, one every month, or even more."

Charlie pulled out a handful of brochures from his pocket and tossed one to everyone. "They explain most of it in there," He said with his strong English accent. "The closest one is in four days, on Friday. It's a "welcoming" dance."

"Ooh, sounds fun," Claire said excitedly. "We should go. All of us." Everyone agreed.

"Oh my gosh!" Kate shrieked. "Girls basketball tryouts are today??? IN TEN MINUTES???"

"Well, gee Kate, do you by chance want to try out for basketball?" Jack said.

Shannon shrieked too. "Oh my gosh, we have to go!" Shannon and Kate rushed out the door before anyone could say goodbye.

Shannon and Kate skidded to a halt and the end of the hallway, as they were about to crash into a group of people. "Sorry, sorry," They all said quickly. "Are you guys going to basketball tryouts?" one girl with dark skin and black hair said. They nodded. "Well there's no need to hurry, it's just outside the building."

"Oh, thank God," Shannon said. "I'm Shannon and this is Kate. Do you live in room 109A?" The group of girls nodded.

"I'm Ana-Lucia," the girl with dark skin said. "This is Libby," she nodded to a girl with dirty blonde hair, "And Sun." she pointed to an Asian girl. They began walking towards the gym. This school was alright, they all thought.

Kate sat at the lunchroom table. Their table was full with herself, Shannon, Claire, Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, Charlie, Boone, Ana, Libby, and Sun.

"So, Shan, what were you saying about dances? You know, before you and Kate ran away?" Claire asked.

"Oh yeah," Shannon said. "Well, apparently for now in September they have the Back-to-School dance, in October is Halloween, November is a Thanksgiving Feast, December is Christmas, and then New Year's goes until January, February is Valentine's day, March is St. Patrick's, April is prom, May is Spring party, and June is a pool party on some kid's yacht."

"Wow," Kate said. "Oh yeah, I remember seeing that… wasn't it like Hugo's Boat Party or something."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah that was it. Who's Hugo, though?"

"Who cares?" Sawyer said. "It's a pool party, and that means girls in swimsuits. That is a guaranteed good time."

Everyone rolled their eyes. Kate realized that Sawyer is always like this. At least he's funny.


	3. Boys are All Trouble

**Hey everybody!! I know I don't have any ships in here yet, but just… don't hate me!!! For now, Claire has a boyfriend. Thomas!**

**Also I MIGHT have an OC in this chapter. Or soon. An OC that likes Ana. And I think that OC has a friend. Who likes Ana.**

**Disclaimer- I still don't own Lost. Why not? I don't know.**

**Chapter 3**

Shannon, Kate, and Claire were back in room 108A. They had just received their schedule and were discussing it.

"Yeah I heard that everyone in the dorm gets the same schedule," Claire said. "And in most dorms around us. So we should have the same schedule as the guys, and the Ana, Libby, and Sun."

"It's getting late, and we have class first thing tomorrow." Kate said. "What was our first class again?"

"Chemistry," Claire replied to a groan. "Aw come on guys, it's not that bad. It can't be."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Shannon got up and answered it.

"Is Claire Littleton in here?" Someone asked.

"Yeah, sure," Shannon said. "Claire! You're wanted for some reason!"

Claire laughed. "Shut up, Shan." Claire got up and walked to the door. "Oh my god!!! THOMAS?!!?!?" Claire hugged the boy standing in at the door.

"Hey Claire," Thomas said. "I know what your wondering."

"Why are you here?" Claire said. "I thought that you couldn't come with me."

"I can't," Thomas replied. "Well, I can now. Only until October. But for now, I have to go." He quickly kissed Claire on the cheek and left.

Kate snickered. "Who was that? Your _boyfriend?_"

"Who else?" Claire said. "His name is Thomas, and he lives in Australia. I don't know WHY he came all the way here to Hawaii… Anyway, shouldn't we be getting to bed? It's late."

"My name is Mr. Sams and I will be your chemistry teacher for this year." Their teacher was passing out chemistry textbooks. Big, heavy, chemistry textbooks. He returned to the front of the room. "I will start by calling out role call. Please raise your hand and tell me if you like to be called anything else besides your real name. Katherine Austen?"

"Kate," Kate corrected. "It's Kate, sir."

"Alright," Mr. Sams said. "_Kate."_

They had no trouble until it got to Sawyer. Mr. Sams questioned why he wanted to be called Sawyer, and Sawyer yelled, "That ain't none of your business, is it?" It was funny-to everyone except the teacher. Sawyer got a warning, but Mr. Sams said only because it was the first day.

The next trouble was when Mr. Sams called out a name-Jin Kwon- and nobody answered. "Jin?" Mr. Sams repeated. A boy raised his hand without a word.

At the name 'Hugo Reyes' most of the class whipped around towards the person who raised his hand. They were all thinking the same thing:_ was this the person that was having the party at the end of the year?_

Mr. Sams carried on the rest of the day talking about how much would be tolerated in his class, and what was expected of each person individually.

The rest of the day went smoothly, with the same routine in all of them.

Ana sat in the lunchroom, being the only one who wasn't ordering lunch that day. Two people suddenly took the seats next to her. She glanced at both of them. _I think they're in my classes_ she remembered. Then she said exactly what was on her mind.

"What?"

"Can we sit here?" One of the guys said. Ana thought he was called Ace or something. "Sure. I really don't care," Ana replied.

"So what's up?" The other guy said. Matt. That's his name.

"Let's just get straight to the point," Ace said before Ana could say anything. "Do you want to go out sometime? With me?"

"Or me?" Matt said suddenly.

Ana stared at both of them. "With you?" She said, disbelieving. "I wouldn't be caught DEAD with either of you."

They were both clearly shocked. "Why?" Matt said.

Ana sighed. "Because you're not my type. Whatever. You two don't even know me. Why would you want to go out with a person you don't even know?"

They shrugged, and glanced at each other. Ana looked disgusted. "Go away"

"I thought you said we could sit here," Ace said.

"Too bad. Get. Before I get mad." Ana said.

They grinned. "Girls are cute when they're mad," Matt said and Ace agreed.

Ana sighed, and got up. "What're you going to do now?" They said, laughing. She grabbed each of them by the shoulders and threw them backwards. They tumbled over the benches. Ana then grabbed their trays of food and threw it in their faces. "Take these with you!" She muttered. She was pleased to see that both Matt and Ace scrambled away.

"Ana Lucia!" It was her Spanish teacher. _Here it comes_ Ana thought. The Spanish teacher didn't give her a hard time. All she said was "Detention. Tomorrow. Lunchtime. Office." And then she left.

"What was that about?" Ana turned around. Libby, Kate, and Sawyer were standing behind her.

"Nothing," Ana said. "Detention. That's all." Libby nodded.

"Why? Sawyer asked.

Ana explained why. Sawyer grinned. "What're you smiling about?" Ana muttered angrily.

"I like bad girls," he replied, still grinning. Ana clenched her fist, then realizing that she was in enough trouble already.

"Leave her alone, Sawyer," Kate said. By then everyone else was there and Ana had to explain what happened again. _Boys are all trouble,_ Kate and Ana thought at the same time.

**Wow! I'm writing a lot in one day!! I'm so proud of myself! Review and read! Wait… that's backwards…**


	4. Too Weird of a Day

**Ok this chapter is the dance…party… whatever. That is NOT the last we see of Ace and Matt. Remember that this IS my first fic and I am still figuring things out. Sometimes, things may not make sense. I WILL figure this out. And I also am trying to make the chapters longer. I think they're short.**

**Disclaimer- OK OK I STILL don't own LOST. I'm working on that though. Alright here we go. Chapter four.**

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"Shannon, why are you taking so long? You don't have to look formal for a Back-to-School celebration," Kate yelled impatiently. "Claire and I are leaving!"

"No wait! I'm coming!" Shannon burst out the bathroom door.

"Finally," Kate muttered. "Let's go."

They had agreed on meeting the boys there. All dances were held in the cafeteria.

Once they got there, they noticed Jack lounging by the snacks, eating chips. He straightened up.

"Hi," He said with a mouth full of Tostitos.

"Hi," Kate said quickly. "Where is everyone?"

"Over there," Jack replied, nodding across the room. "Except for Sawyer. Remember, he got that detention? He has to stay there till six, and it's 5:30 now."

They nodded. Sawyer had gotten in trouble in Mr. Sams class the other day… again.

"And also, Ana isn't here," Jack added. They looked at him. "She got a detention too. You know those two guys that asked her out? Well I think she punched one of them. In the jaw. Hard. Anyway, I was thinking that we could go around and meet everyone, since we haven't really gotten to know anyone except each other."

They agreed, and headed across the room to meet the others. Then, they traveled around greeting people from their class.

"Hey look, it's that quiet guy," Charlie whispered, indicating Jin. They walked over to him. "Hello!" Charlie said.

Jin looked at them and said only, "Hi."

"What's your name?" Claire said, even though she already knew. Jin just looked at her. "Umm…Okay…" Claire said, confused.

"Kate! Claire! Charlie!" Sun was shouting their names and running over to them with Ana and Sawyer close behind. "This is Jin," Sun said. "He…doesn't speak English." She turned to him. "Jin," she said and he looked. Then she completely lost them in a long speech in Korean. They heard their names, and assumed that Sun was introducing them. He then said something in Korean. "Okay," Kate said, confused.

"He says, 'nice to meet all of you.'" Sun told them. Sun and Jin then followed them and went to talk to Hugo, to find out if he was the guy with the boat. "Hey," Hugo said.

"Hi," everyone said, and introduced themselves.

"I'm Hugo, but everyone calls me Hurley," Hurley said. "And I know why you're talking to me. Yes, I am the one who's hosting the party at the end of the year."

"That's cool," Charlie said. "Why? How did you get a boat?"

"Uh," Hurley stammered. "It's uh… my uncle's boat. Yeah. I like boats, so I asked to use it."

"I see," Charlie replied. "Well, see you around Hurley!"

They met several other people, such as Boone's friend Michael (an African American kid with a talent for art), a couple by the names of Nikki and Paulo, John Locke (a brown haired kid who has a big brain), another couple-Rose and Bernard (Bernard is Caucasian and Rose is African American), Ana's friend Cindy, a Nigerian kid named Eko, a girl named Naomi, a pretty blonde girl named Sarah, a rich girl named Penelope, and Eko's brother Yemi.

"So, Jack," Kate said. "Do you like Sarah?"

"What?" Jack snapped. "No…"

"Ooh he does!" Claire said. "Aw, Jack, you make such a cute couple!"

"Shut up, Claire."

"You didn't deny it."

"Yes I did!"

"Oh really? When?"

"Try five seconds ago."

"Oh…"

They continued arguing like this until they got to the dorm room, much to the amusement of Kate.

"Goodnight, Jack," Kate said, dragging Claire in the room.

"You like her."

"DO NOT!!!"

Kate and Claire collapsed on their beds, laughing. When they calmed down, Claire said, "He so likes her though."

"I know," Kate laughed. "It's so obvious… Hey, somewhere in the midst of that we lost everyone else."

Right on time, Shannon opened the door. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"Jack likes Sarah."

"Well, duh," Shannon said, rolling her eyes. "A monkey could've told you that."

Claire laughed. "True. So what are we going to do this weekend?"

Kate shrugged. "Eat popcorn?"

Shannon and Claire stared at her.

"What?" Kate said. "I like popcorn, okay?"

"Me too," Shannon said. "But I stopped eating it. Do you know how unhealthy that stuff is? Especially movie theater popcorn."

"Oh! Speaking of food," Claire shouted. "Did you here that for every dorm building they're building a kitchen? So that means we get to cook! The kids get to do their own cooking!"

"No way!" Kate shrieked. "I love cooking. This is great. I can cook for you guys, if you don't like to cook. I like making stuff."

They shrugged. "Sure, why not," Shannon said. "But don't be offended if I don't eat it… I'm on a diet."

Kate looked at her. "You? On a diet? That, Shannon, is THE MOST ridiculous thing I ever heard. You are smaller than a toothpick."

"Anyway," Claire interrupted. "Kate, you better be as good of a cook as you say you are!"

"I take that as an insult."

"Good! You should!"

They spent the next few minutes yelling at each other. Kate then said, "I think we've had too weird of a day."

"Agreed."

They climbed into their beds and went to sleep.

**I don't know about this one… o well! Next chapter will most likely be the weekend! Yay weekends!**


	5. Before the Day Gets Weirder

**Alright this has a lot of Ana- I hope your happy, Miss Hermione Jane Granger! And also, Dezzy isn't here yet. He's in the hatch. Waiting…I don't know why yet.**

**PS-I love harry potter!! Its great!!**

**Disclaimer-I'm working on it ok?? I don't own lost… for now.**

Ana walked along the grassy outdoors of the buildings. She had no idea where anyone was, when she went to room 108A no one answered. She noticed Matt and Ace ahead of her. She turned straight around, hoping that she could avoid them completely. It was too late.

"Hey, Ana," Ace said as they caught up to her.

"What?" She snapped quickly. She walked swiftly to look like as if she was actually _going _somewhere.

"We were just wondering if, you know," Ace said. "If you've changed your mind?"

Ana suddenly stopped. They halted right in time with her.

She looked him straight in the eye and said, "What do you think?"

He grinned. "I think you've got pretty eyes," he said.

Ana sighed. "You are so lucky," she began. "That I have been getting so many detentions lately; otherwise I would punch you right now."

Matt laughed. "Yeah, you do not want to be on the receiving end of one of those."

"Neither of you are very good at talking to girls," Ana interrupted. "Are you?"

They glanced at each other. "Nope," Matt said. "Is it that noticeable?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Do you hate us or something?" Ace said suddenly. "Or is it just that you don't like us? Or… that you hate people?"

"'I hate people?' what is that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. See you around."

Ana watched them walk away. _I have got to go find someone else,_ Ana thought. _Before things get weirder._

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Kate, Claire, and Shannon stood at the construction site for the kitchen.

"This is going to be so cool," Kate said excitedly. "Excuse me," she said to a worker. "How long do you think this will take to make?"

"Oh, not long," he said. "All we really have to do is drag all the stuff in here. It'll be pretty basic at first. As you have probably noticed, there's an extra closet in your room. That's for a pantry. As for now, we're just putting the cones up to make sure nobody comes in there while we're working."

"Oh," Kate said. "Thank you."

Shannon tugged on Kate's shirt. "We have to go to basketball practice," she whispered.

They said bye to Claire and headed off towards the gym.

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On Tuesday night, Kate, Claire, and Shannon sat on their beds talking. Claire had 'The Simpsons' on in the background.

"When do you think Jack is going to ask Sarah out?" Claire said, not taking her eyes off of the screen.

"Soon," Shannon said knowledgably. "She likes him too, it's so obvious."

Kate agreed with a mouth full of popcorn.

"Are you planning on sharing that?" Claire asked, eyeing the popcorn.

"No," Kate said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "There's more in the pantry, make some yourself."

"No way!" Claire practically shouted. "This is a good episode!"

Shannon laughed. "Claire, you're an addict. It's almost as bad as being addicted to _junk food."_

"What?" Kate asked ignorantly. "I like it. It's good."

"Anyway," Shannon said, ignoring Kate. "When do you think Jack is going to ask _Kate_ out?"

Kate choked. After she was finished coughing, she shouted "_What?"_

Shannon laughed. "I'm kidding," she said. "Kidding. Really. But it _kind of_ seems as if he likes you." Claire nodded in agreement.

"Well if that's the way you're going to play," Kate snapped. "Claire, when do you think Sayid will ask Shannon out?"

"Oh, please," Shannon said, rolling her eyes. "You totally just made that up right now. Admit it."

Kate replied with a "Maybe."

**That was a pretty bad chapter in my opinion. Go ahead, agree with me. Next chapter will probably be… later in October. Things start…happening.**


	6. Somewhere

**OK this is the moment that I've been waiting for… I really need to work on making these chapters a bit-scratch that, A LOT, longer. Really. Mostly Claire in this chapter. PERHAPS a bit of Chaire… depends on how I'm FEELING…**

**The '…' in phone calls are when the other person is talking.**

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"I wonder where Claire is," Kate thought aloud.

"I know, right?" Shannon agreed. "I haven't seen her since like, our last class. _Two hours ago."_

"She's got to be around here somewhere," Kate said. "We'll go look for her."

They simultaneously got up and walked towards the door. They began to push it open before seeing her down the hallway with Charlie.

"Oh, well, it's okay," Shannon said. "She's coming now."

"Yeah, well," Kate argued. "I still want to know where she was. Just wait. We'll ask her."

Claire was still talking to Charlie. She then gave him a hug, and then a kiss on the cheek. Kate and Shannon gaped at each other. They shut the door quickly and hopped onto their beds, looking as if nothing had happened, and that they had been there the entire time. But they were both thinking the same thing. Wouldn't Claire be spending the last few days Thomas had with Thomas?

Claire opened the door, and then quickly shut it again.

"Claire-," Shannon said hurriedly.

"Shh," Claire whispered. "Simpsons!"

Kate and Shannon sighed. How could they possibly wait through the ENTIRE Simpsons hour?

They managed to however. The second it was over Kate said, "Claire-!"

Kate, however, was interrupted by Claire's phone ringing. Kate sighed, and watched as she pulled her phone out from her pocket, glanced at the caller ID, and flipped it open. Kate was listening as hard as she could, though she could only hear Claire's voice in the conversation.

"Hey Charlie," Claire answered. Kate and Shannon glanced at each other. "…Yes, I'm fine. You know, I did just see you only an hour ago. You didn't have to call…" Claire laughed. "Yeah, well, I appreciate your concern, but I'll be okay… Yes, I'm sure… Oh sure, go ahead... Okay, I'll see you then. Bye."

"What was that about?" Shannon asked immediately.

"Yeah," Kate interrupted. They both stared at her. "What about… Thomas?"

Claire sighed. "Well," she said. "I guess I'll start at the beginning."

_Flashback_

Wow,_ Claire thought to herself while walking to her locker. _I can't believe it's alreadyOctober 23rd. Thomas leaves in two days…

_She was snapped back into reality when she heard her name._

"_Claire?" Thomas said. "We need to talk."_

"_Okay," Claire said. "What's up?"_

"_Well," he started nervously. "You know I'm leaving in two days." Claire nodded. "I'm going to be going back to Australia. I know you know that. But the thing is… I don't know… I'm not sure that we can have a relationship if you live so far away."_

_This was not what Claire was expecting. "What? What do you mean? Tons of people have long distance relationships. They make it work. So can we."_

"_Claire," he sighed. "There is no 'we' anymore. Goodbye, Claire." And with that he walked away._

_Claire just stood there, shocked. How on earth could this have happened? They had been together for years now. She put her head into her locker, tears streaming down her face already._

"_Claire?" She heard the familiar English accent. "What's wrong?"_

_Of course. Charlie had the locker next to hers. She then explained what happened._

"_Oh, man," Charlie said, shocked. "That-," he paused, realizing he was still in school. "-Jerk."_

_Claire laughed. She was glad Charlie was there after all. _

"_Is there anything I could do?" he offered. Claire smiled._

"_Doubtful," Claire muttered. "Once he's made up his mind, his mind's made up."_

"_Well, yeah," Charlie said. "I didn't think I could change anything about that. I meant is there anything I can do to cheer you up?"_

"_Oh," said Claire, surprised. "Um, no, I guess."_

"_Sure there is!" Charlie exclaimed cheerfully. "Let's go." He dragged her by the arm towards the door._

"_Where are we going?" Claire asked. His reply was simply a "You'll see."_

_He pulled Claire into an ice cream shop. "You like ice cream don't you?" He asked._

"_Well, yeah," Claire said. "But-."_

"_You know, it's been scientifically proven that ice cream cheers people up," Charlie stated. "I'll buy you some, to cheer you up. What flavor?"_

_Claire grinned. "Scientifically? Well, that changes everything. I'll have a chocolate with Reece's peanut butter cups."_

_Charlie ordered his and pulled out his wallet._

"_Hey, wait," Claire objected. "I have to pay too."_

"_Not when you're with me, you don't," Charlie told her._

_They spent the a few hours eating and talking, before Claire told Charlie that she should be getting back. They walked to their rooms together._

"_You'll be okay now, right?" Charlie asked._

"_Now I am," Claire said. "Thanks to you. I really appreciate it."_

_She hugged him and then gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then walked towards the room._

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"I didn't like that 'Thomas' guy anyway," Shannon said angrily.

"I know," Claire agreed.

"So," Kate asked nervously, about to say what was on her and Shannon's mind. "You and Charlie…?"

Claire laughed. "Oh, no," Claire said. "Not like that."

Kate and Shannon gave each other a 'look', and then turned to Claire, smiling.

Claire laughed again. "Don't give me that look," Claire scolded. "I'm serious."

They shrugged, as if in an 'if you say so' type of way.

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Charlie walked into his room, having just seen Claire off. He took off his jacket and hung it in the closet.

"Where've you been," Sawyer asked immediately.

"I've been," Charlie began, and then stopped, thinking that maybe Claire didn't want him telling people. "somewhere."

"Somewhere, of course," Sawyer said. "Well I hope 'somewhere' was fun."

"Shut up, Sawyer," Jack stated. "If he doesn't want to tell us, he shouldn't tell us."

"Yes," Sayid agrees. "If, Charlie, you feel uncomfortable telling us, then don't tell us."

"It's not that I don't feel comfortable telling you," Charlie said, embarrassed. "It's just that I don't know if I should."

Jack shrugged. "Same thing."

"Well then," Sawyer said, pushing himself off of his bed. "I'm leaving."

"Where?" Jack asked.

"Somewhere," Sawyer smirked. At their anger he added in "To eat."

At seven, Charlie whipped out his phone and dialed quickly. Claire answered quickly.

"Hi," Charlie said immediately. Jack and Sayid exchanged confused glances. "Are you okay?...Yeah, I know, but I wanted to…Are you sure?...And the guys were wondering where I was but I just wanted to make sure you were okay with me telling them…I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow…Bye."

"It was Claire," Charlie said before Jack and Sayid could answer. "Thomas broke up with her today."

"Oh," Sayid and Jack said. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Charlie replied.

"I'm sure she is," Jack said. "She's tough. She'll make it through."

**OK so I think this one is a bit longer… tell me how you like it!! Keep on readin'!!**


	7. Vincent

**Wow this is great I have 5 reviews. I think I should get more. What do YOU think??**

**Disclaimer: I-uh- still… don't … own LOST.**

"Hey Claire," Charlie greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, thank you," Claire replied happily. Shannon and Kate snickered.

"What are you eating?" Charlie asked, ignoring Shannon and Kate.

"French toast," Claire answered simply.

"With peanut butter," Kate and Shannon added in unanimously. "Which I find disgusting," Shannon added.

"So we're all going to that Halloween party, right?" Charlie asked Claire. Kate and Shannon snickered again.

"Yes," Claire replied. "ALL of us."

"Hey," Shannon interrupted. "Don't we have a basketball game soon? Aren't you coming?"

"Yeah," Charlie said. "It'll be great. It's co-ed, right?"

Kate and Shannon nodded.

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Kate was sitting in Chemistry, working on an assignment. The room was completely silent.

She looked to her left. Sawyer was talking to Ana quietly. Ana looked like she would explode at any moment. Kate ignored this and went back to work.

Suddenly there was a _thud_ sound and Ana was walking out the door. The class turned their attention to Sawyer, who was slowly getting up over his overturned desk and a red mark on his face. The whole class erupted with laughter.

"Ana!" Mr. Sams yelled. "Get back in here _**this minute!"**_ They didn't see her the rest of the class.

"What did you do to her?" Kate whispered to him, hardly controlling her laughter.

"I didn't do nothing," Sawyer muttered angrily. "She just lost her temper, that's all."

"Right," Kate laughed sarcastically. "I'll believe that."

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That same day Kate sat next to Sawyer at their tables in Tech.

"Now," the teacher said. "Please partner up with someone at your table. Sun, will you help Jin with the English."

"Yes, sir," Sun said.

"I guess that means you and me, Freckles," Sawyer said to Kate.

They stared at their worksheets for a full minute. "What do we do?" Kate finally said.

"Like I'd have any idea," Sawyer said. "You actually expect me to listen in this class?"

Kate looked around the room. To her left, she saw Sayid bent over the sheet and Jack looked completely overwhelmed and lost by how fast Sayid was going. To her right, Shannon and Ana were quietly arguing about what to do. Most other groups worked peacefully.

"Excuse me," came their principal's voice from the door. "May I see Boone Carlyle and Shannon Rutherford please?"

The teacher excused them and put their partners, Libby and Ana, together.

Sawyer and Kate glanced at each other, but then quickly went back to working.

After a while, Boone and Shannon hadn't come back. Sawyer pulled out his cell phone and began texting.

"What's he saying?" Kate whispered urgently. "What happened?"

Sawyer showed Kate the message:

_**Family stuff. Don't worry about it, be back soon.**_

"Ow!" Sawyer said, careful not to yell. He picked up a pink eraser from the floor. They both turned to Sayid. Sawyer scribbled Boone's message onto a paper, scrunched it up, and tossed it over to Sayid and Jack, who, after reading it, threw it over to Hurley.

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"So, Freckles," Sawyer said. "Do you want to come shoot hoops with me and Sayid today?"

"Can't," Kate replied. "Homework. Sorry."

"That's everyone's excuse," Sawyer moaned. "Ana? How about you?"

"Detention," Ana growled angrily.

"I see," Sawyer laughed. "Claire?"

"Oh," Claire said surprised. "I… basketball's not really for me…."

"Sure it is," Sawyer said spiritedly. "Come on, let's go." He grabbed her arm and pulled her outside towards the court.

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Claire was just passing the ball back and forth to Sawyer and Sayid.

"Ford! Jarrah!" It was the coach. "Come over here."

"What is it, Coach?" Sawyer asked once he got over there.

"Who is that you're playing ball with over there?" He pointed to Claire.

They turned and saw her shooting a multiple times and making it each one.

"Claire Littleton, sir," Sayid answered.

"Littleton, eh?" he said. "She's good. Why isn't she on the team? Go invite her to join, now!"

Sawyer and Sayid returned to the court.

"He wants you to join the team," Sawyer told Claire.

"Oh," Claire said, surprised. "Well, you can tell him I don't really want to. Oh… never mind, he's not even there anymore."

A dog suddenly walked up to them.

"Hey look, a dog," Claire said. She read its tag. _Vincent. Return to Michael Dawson._

Vincent jumped up and grabbed the ball from Claire's hands.  
"Vincent!" Sayid shouted. "No!"

The dog kept running until it got to the woods behind the school.

"Oh, man," Claire groaned. "We're not allowed in there, for some reason."

Sawyer didn't listen. He pushed the tree branches aside and went through. Sayid followed, and Claire ran in after them.

She found the basketball and scooped it up. "Ew," She said. "Dog drool." Disgusted, Claire tossed it to the ground a few feet away from her. It made a 'clunk' sound.

"Did you hear that?" Sayid asked. "That's not the kind of noise it should make."

All three of them went to investigate. They tore away leaves and undergrowth to search for what had made that noise. They didn't have to dig for long.

It was a metal hatch.

**Alright I think this one is a bit short. Next chapter will mostly be focused around 'Sploding the hatch!**

**I might be starting a new fic soon which means I won't be updating as much on this one… but I won't forget! Don't worry!**


	8. It's Over

**Hey this is my first fic… I've been planning it for ages!!!!**

**I might be starting a new fic soon which means I won't be updating as much on this one… but I won't forget! Don't worry! Also, I explain why Shannon and Boone were excused from their class.**

Claire, Sayid, and Sawyer sat in the boys' room, sitting silently.

"What do you think it is?" Claire whispered.

"I don't know," Sayid said. "But we're going to have to find out."

"Are we going to tell anyone?" Sawyer asked. "I mean, sure, I know we're not going to tell any 'school officials' but what about our friends?"

"No," Sayid responded quickly. "The less people knowing, the better."

Claire was about to reply but the sound of a door opening quieted her. It was Charlie and Jack.

"Hey," Charlie said. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing," They all said unanimously.

"Well, I'd better get going," Claire said. "I need to find out whether Shannon is back or not."

"She's not," Jack told her. "Neither is Boone."

"Okay," Claire said. "Bye."

She walked quickly out the door.

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Charlie, Sayid, Sawyer, and Jack sat in their room quietly. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Hey!" the person yelled. "It's Boone!"

Jack quickly got up and opened the door. Boone was there, along with his roommates, Hurley and Jin.

"What's up?" Jack asked nervously.

"Hey," Boone said shakily. "Can we get the girls over here? Please?"

Sawyer yanked out his phone and texted Kate and Ana, telling them to get everyone and come to their room. In a matter of minutes, they were there.

"Boone," Kate said. "Where's Shannon?"

"Shannon," Boone began. "Will not be here for a while."

"Why?"

"Her father died in a car crash. That's why we were excused from class." Boone explained.

They all were speechless. Until…

"Her father?" Ana said. "Isn't he your father too?"

"No," Boone answered. "My mom married her dad when we were 10. She's my step-sister."  
No one said anything.

"The person they hit," Boone said. "is a student here. She's okay though. She's in our grade, actually."

"Who?" Claire asked.

"Her name was," Boone answered. "Sarah. I don't know her last name or anything, but it was definitely Sarah."

"What happened to her?" Jack asked. "Is she okay?"

"Oh, she's fine," Boone said. "Adam was the one who got the most damage."

Everyone knew immediately that Adam was Shannon's father.

"She was really close to him," Boone explained. "Shannon never really got along with my mother, but he was always there. I didn't know him very well. I have no idea what she could be going through."

"It'll be a while," Sawyer said. They all turned to him. "She'll never completely be okay again, but the closest she'll come will be a while."

"What do you mean?" Ana asked after a while.

"My parents died when I was eight," Sawyer replied. "I remember the day perfectly."

"I never knew," Kate whispered.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ana asked.

"I didn't think it mattered," Sawyer muttered. "It mattered then, but not now. What matters now is Shannon's dad. We just have got to make her as happy as possible when she gets back."

"You still could've told us," Claire protested.

"It doesn't matter," Sawyer repeated. "It's over now."

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It was Saturday morning of the week after Boone returned. Kate and Claire were sleeping, until the door creaked open.

Claire opened her eyes to the sound, as did Kate. They looked over to the door.

"Shannon?"

"Yeah," they heard her voice whisper.

They both got up and hugged her. "I'm so sorry," They both said.

"It's okay," Shannon said.

"No, it's not," Kate said. "It's not. Sawyer said it wouldn't be."

"We have to tell Boone you're back," Claire said.

"Already did," Shannon said. "He was waiting for me at the front door."

"He knew you were coming?" Claire asked. "Why didn't he tell us?"

"I don't know," Shannon said. "Well, come on! It's the weekend. Let's do something fun. This is boring."

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Everyone was at the food court on campus. Tonight was the dance, and they totally forgot about it. All they were doing was walking around the stores that were on campus. Shannon, Kate, Ana, Sun, and Libby were walking in the front. Jack, Charlie, Hurley, Boone, and Jin were walking somewhere in the middle. Claire, Sayid, and Sawyer were talking quietly in the back.

"I think I found a way to open that- that hatch," Sawyer whispered. Claire and Sayid listened carefully. "Well, there's no handle, and no latch. There's a little bit of a glass window in the middle, right? Well if we can just get that open-,"

"You can't," Someone said behind them. They froze and turned around. "You are talking about that hatch thing, right?"  
It was John Locke.

"And how would you know what we're talking about?" Sayid asked.

"Because I found it about at the same time you did," He replied. "I built a trebuchet, sort of like a catapult, and it had a sharp piece of metal at the end. I let it go, and it hit the glass, right on target. It didn't shatter, it didn't even have so much as a little crack," he then shouted, "Boone! Get over here."

Boone heard and quickly broke away from his group and came over. "What is it, John?" He asked.

John pointed to them. "They know."

"What, so now he's in on it too?" Sawyer asked angrily.

"James," John said. "Now you know not to waste your time trying to break open the hatch. How do you think you are going to get it open now?"

They all thought in silence for a moment.

"Blow it open," Sawyer said. They all looked at him. "Tonight, at the dance, they gonna expect some prank from some student. They hear the sound of that thing exploding, they just gonna think it's some Halloween joke."

"That's all very logical, Sawyer," Claire said. "But how are we going to get enough… stuff to blow it open with?"

Boone said, "Leave it to me."

**Okay that one wasn't very good, do you think? Tell me in your reviews!!**

**Next chapter- the Halloween dance and the "prank" that Sawyer came up with! Yay Sawyer! You did something smart for once!!**


	9. Quarantine

**Here it is… boom time. How did Boone get the blowing up stuff? That's for your own imagination to figure out!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own LOST but I have a plan- no I don't. Never mind.**

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"So this is how it's gonna go," Sawyer said. "Once Boone is out in the woods, ready, he is going to call us out there. One of us is going to go and help him set up."

"I'll do it," Sayid volunteered. "I don't know what he's bringing, but I have experience with this kind of stuff."

"Alright then," John said. "Well then, we better get going. We won't want to be late to the Halloween dance."

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Kate stood near the snacks drinking cherry-flavored punch. She saw Sawyer, Sayid, Claire, and John Locke all come in at the same time. She walked over to them.

"Hey guys," she said. "What's up?"

"Oh, you know Freckles," Sawyer responded. "The usual."

Twenty minutes later, Shannon walked over to them.

"Hey," she said. "Have you seen Boone?"

"Uh, why?" Claire asked nervously. Kate noticed that Claire said that nervously.

"He said he would be here," Shannon said, looking around.

"Yes," Sayid said. "He had to go finish up something. He said he'd be here later, or he might not make it at all."

"I see," Shannon said. "That's odd."  
Sayid checked his phone. 1 new message- from Boone.

"Speaking of not being here," Sayid said, glancing at Claire and Sawyer. "I think I'm going to head out too."

"Why?" Shannon asked sadly.

"I don't know," he replied. "Just- out for a walk, I guess."

"See you," Claire said quickly, before Shannon or Kate could ask any other questions. Sayid left.

Another half hour passed until Sawyer got a text message from Boone.

"I think I'm going to go too," he said, glancing over at Claire and John. "I need some fresh air."

"That sounds like a good idea," Claire said. "I think I'll come along."

"Me too," John added.

They all left before anyone could say anything. They kept walking swiftly towards the woods. In a matter of no time, they had arrived.

They moved closer to the hatch. On top of it, placed neatly, were fireworks.

"Great idea," John said, impressed.

"Stand back!" Sayid shouted. They all stepped backwards, far enough so they wouldn't get hurt, but close so they could still see.

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Ana saw Kate hanging around the snack area. She dodged Matt who tried to put a plastic spider in her hair. "Hey," she said when she got over to Kate.

"Hi," Kate responded. "Ana, have you seen Claire or Sawyer or Sayid? They've been gone for a while."

Ana was about to respond when suddenly a large BOOM echoed through the room. Several people screamed and threw their arms onto their heads. Moments later the people began laughing, realizing that it was simply a Halloween prank. Ana and Kate looked at each other.

"Oh, no," they muttered simultaneously.

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After they activated the fireworks, they could hear the screams coming from the school and couldn't help but laugh. They immediately ran towards where the hatch door was. It had flown off.

John, Claire, Sawyer, and Sayid gathered around the empty hole in the ground. "Boone!" John yelled. "Where are you? You have to see this."

"Over here!" Boone's voice came from behind them. Confused, they walked over to him.

He had been hit by the hatch door. Luckily, only his arm was caught under the door. They pushed it off of him and got him up. "Are you okay?" Claire asked immediately.

"Yeah," Boone answered, holding his arm. His eyes caught the door. "Look," he said quietly. Puzzled, they kneeled down to see. Written in black was the word **QUARANTINE**.

"That was on the inside?" Sayid said. "The inside, warning someone not to come out?"

"Boone, are you sure you're okay?" Claire asked worriedly.

"I'm sure," Boone responded. Claire grabbed his arm anyway.

"I don't think you're okay Boone," Claire said.

"We can't tell the school nurse," Boone said. "She'll wonder why we were out here, and how it happened."

"Jack," Claire said. "Sawyer, Sayid, John, someone go get Jack."

"No!" Boone protested. "He'll ask as many questions as anyone else would."

"Jack's father is a doctor," Claire explained. "He's our friend, and if we tell him not to tell anyone, he won't."

Boone nodded. "Fine. Go get Jack."

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Jack stood talking to Kate and Ana. They all saw Sayid run in.

"Jack," he said. "I need to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Just come here," Sayid said impatiently and dragged him away from Kate and Ana.

"Jack, is it true you have experience in the medical field?" Sayid asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess," Jack sputtered. "But-."

"Boone is hurt," Sayid said. "I'll explain on the way."

Jack asked no questions and followed Sayid toward the direction of the hatch, listening to the story.

Jack went over to Boone who was kneeling over the hatch looking through the hole. "How deep do you think it is, Jo-?" Boone was pulled away by Jack.

"Where did it hit you?" Jack asked.

"Don't tell anyone, okay?" Boone said. "Especially not my sister. Not Shannon."

"Okay," Jack agreed. "This arm?"

Boone nodded.

"Sawyer," Jack said. "Go get my bag from my room."

Sawyer did not protest and ran off immediately.

"Your collarbone is broken (**Get it strats-star7? Lol**)," Jack explained. "I think that when it hit you, it pulled too hard and your collarbone is cracked completely in half. Your arm has major bruising, and it will hurt for a while."

Sawyer returned with Jack's bag. He pulled out a sling.

"You keep that with you?" Sawyer asked.

"Well, Sawyer," Jack replied. "If I didn't, then you'd be explaining this to the school nurse, not me. She'll figure out, but you'll just have to make up a story."

"I think, Boone," Jack continued. "You should head back to your room."

"What?" Boone said, shocked. "No! What about the hatch?"

"No one's going down there tonight," Jack ordered. "I think you gave the school quite a scare, you don't want to be caught out here."

They agreed to this logic. On the way back to their rooms, Jack asked "Who else knows about this?"

"Only us," Claire said. "But, Jack, you said you wouldn't tell anyone."

"Right," Jack remembered. "But maybe if we told just a few people, it wouldn't make a difference, like Charlie and Kate and Shannon. People like that."

Claire glanced around at everyone. They seemed to think this was fair. "Okay," Boone said. "Bring them here. But I am not going to be the one to explain it.

**I hurt Boone. I'm so mean. It's not like I hate Boone or anything but you know instead of him dying, I had him break his collarbone. Which hurts. A lot. I strongly advise against it.**

**Next chapter… new student, and then people are discussing who should go down into the hatch.**


	10. Downtown

**Wow I can't believe that I wrote 10 chapters already… ENJOY!! Don't forget to review!! I've got 7 reviews so far!!**

**Disclaimer: Do I look like I own lost? My story actually makes SENSE unlike the show…**

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"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Shannon shouted angrily.

"Shannon, do you feel in the least bit bad?" Boone yelled back.

"That's not the point!" Shannon argued.

"I would've told you!" Boone yelled.

"Guys," Charlie said. "Stop. We've got to figure this out."

"I'm going down there this Friday." John said quietly. "I'm waiting till the week is over so I have time just in case… something goes wrong."

"No one's going down there alone," Jack announced.

"I'll go."

They looked over. Ana and Sawyer had said that unanimously.

"John, you've done enough already," Ana said. "You found it. Let me."

"I'm going down there, whether you like it or not," Sawyer said.

"Well, it's settled then," John said. "After dinner on Friday, James and Ana will go down into the hatch."

"Uh, dudes," Hurley said suddenly. "Class starts in like, 5 minutes."

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They had all arrived to class right on time. The teacher declared that he had an announcement.

"We have a new student today," Mr. Sams said. "Class, this is Ethan Rom."

Ethan stood up, and then sat down again. His seat was next to Claire.

The teacher began a long lecture.

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"He seems nice," Claire explained at lunch. "I invited him to sit by us."

At that time, Ethan walked over and sat down. Claire introduced everyone.

"Nice to meet you," Ethan said politely.

"Hey, Shan," Claire said. "Didn't you say there was a basketball game coming up?"

"Oh, yeah," Shannon said. "Sometime this month. A week or two, I think."

"Hey, Muhammad," Sawyer said. "Remember what Coach said? That day-," he paused remembering that Ethan was there. "When we were out practicing with Claire?"

"Yes, I remember," Sayid said. "Boone can't play, so now we're short one player." They both turned and looked at Claire.

She sighed. "Fine. I'll do it. Just this once, though."

"So you are all on the basketball team, then?" Ethan asked curiously.

"No," Claire answered. "I'm not. But since Boone can't play, I volunteered."

"I see," Ethan said. "Well, I'll be seeing you later."

And with that he got up and left.

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Ethan hung out with them the rest of the week.

On Friday they were outside in the school greenhouse to study plants, for a homework assignment. They were studying in groups, and they were all researching before dinner. A few other groups were there as well, and the greenhouse was buzzing with noise. Suddenly…

'_**DOWNTOWN; THINGS'LL BE GREAT WHEN YOU'RE DOWNTOWN!!'**_

The glass roof of the greenhouse shattered. A rope flew down through the hole where the glass broke. Ethan grabbed onto the rope and it was pulled up. The girls who pulled him up, everyone saw, were a blonde girl and a girl with dark brown hair.

Luckily, no one was hurt by the falling glass.

"What was that?" Kate said.

Nobody answered.

Everyone got out of there as quickly as possible.

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They were discussing it at dinner.

"They took Ethan," Claire said.

"They did not take Ethan," Sayid corrected. "Ethan went with them. He was planning it, though I don't know why."

"He clearly didn't want to be here," Sawyer said.

"Did anyone else see the people who threw down the rope?" Jack asked casually. Everyone nodded.

"Who were they?" Jack continued. No one answered to this question.

"That doesn't matter now," Ana said. "It's time to go."

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They had been planning it all week. Locke was going to belay them down, one at a time.

"I'll go first," Sawyer volunteered.

"Are you sure?" Ana asked nervously. "I could go first."

"No," Sawyer said. "Who knows what's down there? You could get hurt. I won't let that happen."

He began to climb down, and then froze. "I'm going to be waiting," he said. "If you don't see me at the bottom, climb back up right away." With that, he finished climbing down. He hit the bottom.

"Alright," Ana said. "Let's go."

Ana also began to climb down. When she was almost there, she noticed that Sawyer wasn't there. "John! He's not-!" She screamed. There was a gunshot.

"Ana?" Jack yelled. "What are we going to do?"

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Sawyer reached the bottom, and then yelled up that he was there. He heard something coming from the hallway behind him. It sounded like footsteps. Then he heard a sound that he recognized from when he was eight years old: the sound of a gun cocking.

"Hold up there, brother," A voice said. "Hold still." Sawyer heard the footsteps coming closer. He saw someone emerge from the light. "Come with me," He said, pushing Sawyer through the hall. "And don't even think about yelling for help," he warned in a Scottish accent.

Sawyer and the person reached a room at the end of the hallway. The room was full of equipment.

They kept on walking until they arrived at a kitchen. The person told Sawyer to sit down. He did so.

"What's your name?" The person said.

"Sawyer," he muttered quietly. "What's your name?"

"My name?" the person said, shocked. "My name's Desmond.

Desmond was interrupted by the sound of more people coming down. "Who's that?" Desmond asked.

"Her name's Ana," Sawyer responded.

Desmond brought Sawyer back to where Sawyer had first came in, but so they couldn't be seen. Sawyer wanted to scream to Ana to go back up, but Desmond still had the gun pointed at him. Desmond suddenly walked over there and aimed up.

"No!" Sawyer yelled, but Desmond had already shot.

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**OOO Cliffhanger I love it! What do you think happened? Wait and you shall find out!**

**Next chapter: Desmond tells his story. I might even include some of the game if I feel like it.**


	11. Ethan Rom

**I just love writing these.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned LOST my name would be Carlton Cuse, or Damon Lindelof. So clearly I don't own LOST.**

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Ana screamed and felt herself falling. It was not a long drop, but she knew that it would be a painful fall. She didn't feel herself hit the ground completely. Her feet hit the ground, but lightly, definitely not as hard as it should have been. She felt someone's arms around her. The reason she didn't hit the ground as hard as she should've.

"Alright, come with me," She heard someone's voice that was not Sawyer's. "Both of you, now."

She straightened herself and began walking alongside of Sawyer. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"No talking," he said, leading them into a kitchen.

"Who are you?" Ana asked boldly.

"I'm Desmond," he said. "Where did you come from? How'd you get in here?"

Sawyer and Ana slowly explained everything.

"And why are you down here?" Ana asked.

"Ah, well," Desmond began. "That I can hardly remember myself." They were listening intently.

"A few years back," Desmond began. "I was at a school, just like you. There was an emergency. Someone had gotten into the school and nobody knew who it was. Once we evacuated, a teacher sent some students down here. She told us not to come up, never, until a teacher came back and told us it was safe. She never came back."

"So you've been down here all this time?" Ana asked.

"You said there were more of you," Sawyer said. "Where are they?"

"We waited," Desmond continued. "Everyone was getting restless. I, along with a few others, thought it would be safe to come out. They protested, saying that in no conditions were we to go out there. One student volunteered to go up, and say whether it was safe or not. When they didn't let him, he said he would die either way. They're all gone."

"Well Desmond," Ana said. "It's safe now. I'm telling you this. It's safe."

There was another noise. "Who is that?" Desmond demanded of them.

"I don't know," Ana said. Desmond went to a telescope of sorts.

"You," he said, pointing to Sawyer. "Who is that?"

Sawyer looked through. "That would be," Sawyer said. "Jack."

"And why is Jack down here?" Desmond asked. He grabbed up his gun and went off again.

Sawyer and Ana followed him toward the entrance. Jack hit the ground.

"Stop," Desmond said quietly. Jack did so.

"Where are they?" Jack asked.

"Say something," Desmond ordered to Ana and Sawyer. "Say something, so he knows you're here."

"Jack," Ana said. "It's okay. Sawyer and I are here. We're safe."

"Jack?" John's voice yelled from above.

"Tell him you're okay!" Desmond told Jack.

Jack yelled, "John, its okay. They're here."

Desmond nodded. "Alright. Follow me."

Jack, Sawyer, and Ana followed Desmond around the place. They reached a door. Desmond set his gun down. "Open it," he told Jack. Jack followed the orders. It led outside, in the woods of the school. Desmond went out, and walked over towards the clearing where everyone else was waiting.

They turned and ran towards them. Desmond hung back in the shadows.

"What's down there?" Shannon asked.

"A lot," Sawyer answered. "Like a living space. Kitchen, beds, even a computer."

"I wonder who lived there," Sayid said.

Jack, Sawyer, and Ana turned towards Desmond. Everyone else looked to where they were.

"Hello," Desmond said wearily.

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Sawyer sat outside the office with Ana. They were waiting for Desmond, who was registering himself as a new student.

"It must be really weird for him in there," Ana said.

"Yeah," Sawyer said. "Why do we have to be the ones waiting for him out here? I got better things to do."

Ana laughed. "You? I doubt it."

"Low blow, Lucy," He said. "That wasn't very nice was it?"

Ana shrugged. "I don't care. I just want to get out of here. I've been here way to many times from detentions."

Sawyer laughed. "Like I said, I like bad girls."

Ana shook her head. "Whatever, Sawyer," she said.

At that time Desmond came from the office. They looked up at him.

"This is my room number," he showed them. 109B.

"That's Boone, Hurley, and Jin's," Sawyer said.

"Alright then," Desmond said. "Let's go. This place is weird."

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A blast of cheering echoed through the gym the night of the game. Right now, they were announcing the names of the players for their team.

"And now, for the challenging team we have… Ben Linus! Tom Gainey (For the record this is Tom as in Mr. Friendly.)! Mikhail Bakunin!

"Does anyone else find it odd that that person has an eye patch?" Ana whispered.

"Goodwin Cullen! Richard Alpert! Alex Linus! Juliet Burke!"

"Is it just me or do those two look strangely familiar?" Jack muttered.

"And… Ethan Rom!"

"Ethan?" Claire said. "And those two- Alex and Juliet?-they helped him leave, escape!"

It was coming back to them. Yes, Juliet had the same kind face and blonde hair and Alex had that same shade of brown hair. It was them.

"Now, I think," Sawyer said. "That we gotta teach them a thing or two."

"You could say that again," Ana said angrily.

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"We were slaughtered," Ana said after the game.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Sawyer said with sarcasm.

"Don't you be sarcastic with me!" Ana said menacingly.

"Hey," They turned around. It was Juliet. "That was a good game. You played well."

"We don't need you here," Sawyer growled.

"Well, no," Juliet said, shocked. "But-."

"What he's trying to say is," Ana interrupted. "That we don't want you here."

Surprised and hurt, Juliet walked away and started talking to Ben. Ben looked over at them.

"There's something about them," Sawyer said. "That creeps me out."

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Ana sat outside in the freezing air after the game. She felt Sawyer sit down next to her. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes.

"When I didn't see you down there, waiting for me," Ana said, breaking the silence. "I thought I was dead for sure."

"I would've been there, Ana Lulu," Sawyer said.

"I know," Ana said. "I don't blame you. But when I didn't see you waiting there, and then I heard that gunshot I thought I was dead. And then I felt myself falling, and I didn't feel any pain and I was thinking 'Am I dead?' I heard Desmond's voice and I didn't feel myself hit the floor. Then we started walking. I heard you ask if I was okay. When I knew you were there, I was. I was okay then."

"I still don't think you would've died, Lucy," Sawyer said.

"You'd be surprised," Ana replied. She turned to him. "Thanks for saving me."

"You wouldn't have died from that fall," Sawyer repeated.

"'Saving' doesn't necessarily mean that you saved my life," Ana said.

Sawyer thought about that for a moment. "I don't understand you, Rambina," Sawyer said. "One minute you can be furious with me, and now you're thanking me for 'saving' you?"

She grinned. "I am going to ignore the fact that you called me all of those nicknames," She said. "Just because you were there. Otherwise, I would knock you off this bench."

Sawyer smiled mischievously. "Oh would you?" he asked. "I think you'd crack eventually."

"I think you're right."

"Ana Lulu," Sawyer started.

"Oh, don't do this," Ana groaned.

"Cupcake. Ponce de Leon. Rambina. Little Red Riding Hood. Lucy. Muchacha," He said, naming things.

"Do those names even mean anything?" She asked.

"Yes they do," Sawyer answered. "Still not mad yet?" He grinned. "Hot Lips."

At this she did what she promised, and pushed him right off of the bench. He got up. "I knew it," he mumbled. "You're just lucky we didn't put any money on that bet."

"If we put money on it, I wouldn't have done that."

"Yes you would."

"Would not," She argued. She noticed Ace and Matt walking nearby. "Why don't you try that again?"

"Hot Lips," he said again. She did nothing. He said it again. Still nothing.

"Touché," he muttered.

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**Yay! I managed to fit a bit of Sana in there at the end! That's my favorite ship but if I don't pair Kate with Sawyer or Jack people would hate me. And I don't like pairing Jack with Kate. It's just wrong.**

**Next chapter… Sawyer shows Dezzy around. And what's this? MORE SANA!?!?!?**


	12. Who's That?

"Who's that?" Desmond asked. He and Sawyer were at the lunch table and Desmond was pointing people out and asking who they were.

"That's Michael."

"Who's that?"

"That's Sarah."

"Who's that?"

"That's Matt. He's in love with Ana Lucia," Sawyer explained. For that, he earned a punch in the arm.

"I see… who's that?"

"Eko."

"Who's that?"

"That's Michael again!"

"Oh…"

"Okay will you stop?" Sawyer said, annoyed.

"Alright, brother," Desmond laughed. He spotted someone at the lunch line. "Hey, who's that?"

"I thought you just said you'd stop!"

"Well I actually want to know who that is!"

"Her name is Penelope," Sawyer said.

Desmond noticed that she was struggling with carrying her lunch. She had a bundle of books and stuff with her.

"Does she need help?" Desmond asked, concerned. Sawyer grinned mischievously.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Ana interrupted and said, "Leave him alone, Sawyer."

Desmond got up and walked over to Penelope. "Hey," He greeted, taking her lunch from her hands. Penny then dropped all of her books. Desmond bent down and started picking them up.

"Sorry about that," Penny said. "I'm Penny."

"Nice to meet you, Penny," Desmond said. "I'm Desmond."

"Are you new here? I haven't ever seen you around."

Desmond nodded and scooped up the remaining books. "You're just lucky your lunch wasn't on their, otherwise you'd be eating lunch of the floor."

Penny laughed. "Yeah, thanks for that. I'm only carrying this stuff because my locker is jammed."

Desmond took her lunch to her table. "Well, see you later, Penny,"

"Yeah," She replied. "I'll see you when you take me to the Thanksgiving feast."

He looked at her. "I never said I would take you to the Thanksgiving feast."

"Not yet," She said.

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"Scotty's been here for two days and he's already got himself a girl?" Sawyer said.

"I couldn't even accomplish that. But if Ana Lulu here would be so kind…" Ana pushed him.

"Shut up, Sawyer," She sighed. "You know, I should really count how many times someone says that to you in one day. I'd like to see that."

"I don't think anyone can count that high," Kate told her.

"That's true," Ana thought aloud.

"Why are you two ganging up on me?" Sawyer asked. "What did I ever do to you?

"Shut up, Sawyer," they both said simultaneously, and then burst out laughing.

"Speaking of going out with people," Claire said. "Jack… when are you going to ask Sarah out? You've liked her since the beginning of the year."

"Soon," he promised. He had long since stopped denying it. They just didn't believe him.

"I'm holding you to that," Kate warned.

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Ana walked along the hallway until she heard Ace's and Matt's voices. She sighed, and expecting them to run up and talk to her any second anyway, she stopped and she waited.

She only overheard what they were saying. They were talking to Sawyer.

"Hey, Sawyer," that was Ace. "How do you get Ana to like you like she does?"

Did she just hear what she thought she heard? Ana liking _Sawyer?_ _Not a chance_ she thought to herself. This, however, gave her an idea.

"Go away," she heard Sawyer's response.

"No, really," Matt said. "You can make her smile, make her laugh. She's always happy around you."

Ana felt like she could puke at the very thought of that. It was, in a way, true, though.

"Maybe," Sawyer started to say. "Maybe you should just leave her alone. And leave me alone, as well." She heard Sawyer walk away and in her direction. He turned the corner. Ana ran up to him. She fell into his step beside him.

"They weren't giving you a hard time, were they?" Ana asked.

"Not too much," Sawyer answered. "I hope they'll stop giving _you_ a hard time though. It's really getting on my nerves to see them continuously getting on your nerves."

Ana stopped to think about how to word this next phrase. "Maybe," She hesitated. "You could help me with that."

Sawyer stopped. "Help how?"

"Well," she began awkwardly. "If you and I- how do I put this? - we can pretend to be going on a date, in fact, a double-date with Jack and Sarah."

Sawyer stared at her. "You're serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious," She said impatiently. "Look, it'll only be a one-time thing, and things will be great for everyone. They'll stop bothering me, and we can hook up Jack and Sarah! It's perfect!"

Sawyer hesitated. "You owe me one."

"Thank you, Sawyer," Ana breathed. "Maybe now they'll leave me alone."

"I said you owe me one."

"What's on your mind?" Ana asked nervously.

"Maybe this doesn't have to be a one time thing," He started. "You pretend to go out with me long enough so that-."

"Kate will start to like you so you two can go out?" Ana finished for him. "I don't think so." She began walking away. Sawyer ran after her.

"Come on!" He persisted. "Don't you think that they'll keep bothering you afterwards?"

She froze. He had a point. "Fine," she mumbled. "Let's go get Jack and Sarah."

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"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"You said soon!"

Ana was trying to convince Jack to come on the double date. It was not going as well as Ana had hoped.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in hooking me up with Sarah anyway? I thought that was Claire's job."

"Well," Ana said, not looking Jack in the eye. "I was actually wondering if you and Sarah would double date with me and Sawyer."

Jack laughed. "You and Sawyer?"

"Yeah."

"I don't believe you."

"It's true!"  
"Well," Jack laughed. "Just because that was hilarious, I'll do it. But that doesn't mean Sarah will say yes." He walked out. Ana was surprised. She pulled out her phone and texted Sawyer to tell him.

Ana waited for Jack to come back. After a long forty-five minutes, Jack returned with an unreadable expression on his face. "She said yes," Jack told her. "Saturday night of next week."

"Perfect!" Ana said, and pulled out her phone to text Sawyer again.

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**OK!!! I love Sana. It's so great.**

**Next chapter-the double date, most likely with the feast too.**


	13. Just Friends

**YAY!!!! In this story, Claire has a dog. That's why she liked Vincent so much.**

**Disclaimer: LOST is not in my authority to control.**

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There was a knock on the door. Ana walked over and opened the door. Jack and Sawyer were standing there.

"Hi," Ana greeted. "Where's Sarah?"

"We still have to go get her," Jack told her.

Ana nodded and stepped outside. They walked towards Sarah's dorm. _This is really weird_, Ana thought to herself.

Jack knocked on the door. Sarah opened the door. "Hey, Jack," She said cheerfully. "Sawyer, Ana. Nice to see you guys together!"

Ana forced a smile. "Thanks."

"So… dinner?" Sarah asked. They nodded, and began walking towards the restaurant.

They were seated quickly and talked with each other. It was like it was just a group of friends.

Ana didn't do much talking. She was sitting against the window, gazing at the snow falling, thinking about how she got herself in this situation in the first place. _It's all Ace's and Matt's fault,_ she thought angrily. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the waiter delivering the food.

"So," Sarah said. "You guys are friends with that new kid, Desmond, right? Where did he come from? It's like he just appeared out of nowhere all of a sudden."

Sawyer, Ana, and Jack glanced at each other. "He moved here from Scotland," Ana lied. "We met him before he applied himself as a new student. That's why we know him so well."

"Anyway," Jack said, attempting to move away from the topic of Desmond. "Sarah, how are you feeling, you know, since you were in that car crash with Shannon's dad?"

"Oh," Sarah said. "Well, I got a large scratch on my leg and I broke my arm," she said, holding up her arm, which had a cast on it.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jack said.

"Thanks," Sarah said. "But I really feel bad for Shannon and Boone. How are they doing?"

"Oh, they're really doing well," Ana said. "Well for if your father died, of course."

They talked more until the snow was really coming down. Ana stared out the window.

"I love watching the snow fall," she said happily.

"We had better get going," Jack said. "Before we get snowed in or something.

They paid the check and hurried outside. The frosty wind blew flecks of snow onto their faces. They hurried inside the buildings, said goodbye and went off to their rooms. Ana stopped at Sawyer's and Jack's room.

"So, Lucy," Sawyer said. "You and me gonna go to the feast?"

Ana sighed. "I guess."

Sawyer gave her a 'look.'

"I mean," Ana said, catching on. "Of course!"

"Alright then," He said. He said bye and Ana left.

She opened the door to her room and saw Libby sitting on her bed doing homework. "Where have you been?" Libby inquired.

"Out," Ana replied simply.

"Ah, I see," Libby said. "With who?"

"Who said I was out 'with' anyone?" Ana smirked.

"I do," Libby said. "Who was it?"

"Sawyer," she mumbled.

"Sawyer?" Libby practically shouted.

"Say it a bit louder, will you?" Ana said angrily.

"Sorry," Libby apologized. "Sawyer?"

"Yes, Sawyer," Ana said.

"Why?" Libby asked.

"I-," she hesitated. "I like him, okay?"

"Are you serious?" Libby said disbelievingly. "I thought you said you hated his guts and wished you'd never met him."

Ana thought back. "Oh, yeah," Ana remembered. "I did say that, didn't I? Well, not anymore I guess," She shrugged.

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The feast took place in the cafeteria. All tables were now table clothed and had cushioned chairs. It was like going to your grandma's house for Thanksgiving. There was just enough room at each table to seat the group of friends.

At the front of the cafeteria were buffet tables filled with food where the kids could just help themselves. Everyone had already done so and was seated.

"I'm so glad it's finally Thanksgiving break," Sawyer said.

"I know," Charlie agreed. "One week off!"

"You know, it's not going to seem that long," Ana told them.

"Quit being such a pessimist," Sawyer said. "I have nothing to do but sit around and do nothing. Which is a _very_ good thing."

"Count your blessings," Claire said grumpily. "My mom is going out of town so _I_ have to go and water the plants and feed the dog and stuff."

"Ooh," Kate said. "Rough. I'd come with you, but I kind of wanted to check out the new kitchen."

"Oh, please," Claire said, rolling her eyes. "You've been checking out that new kitchen ever since they proclaimed it safe _two weeks ago_. And you still haven't made anything yet."

"Well that's my goal for this weekend," Kate argued.

"Whatever, Kate," Shannon said. "Boone and I have to spend Thanksgiving with 'family.' _Boone's _family."

"What's wrong with Boone's family?" Boone protested.

"Well," Shannon began. "Sabrina's a witch and she hates me. Oh, and last time I saw your grandmother she treated me like a two year old. And also your grandfather calls me by a different name every time he speaks to me. Sharon, Shelly, Sherry, and even Breanna and I have _no_ idea where that came from."

"Whatever, Shan," Boone said. "He doesn't even know _my _name. 'Bob bring me my water!'" Boone said, imitating an old person. "'Brian, your mother is an excellent cook.'"

"Sabrina is a terrible cook," Shannon said.

"I _know!_" Boone said so seriously that it made everyone laugh.

"Yeah, well," Claire said. "I have to be alone at my house with only Tucker for company-my dog, Tucker."

"Sucks to be you," Sawyer said.

"Sawyer!" Ana said, shocked. "That was _so _uncalled for."

"Ana, it's okay-," Claire began.

"Ana," Sawyer said abruptly. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

He and Ana got up and walked to the other side of the room. "What?" Ana asked angrily.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sawyer asked her.

"What do _I _think _I'm_ doing?" Ana said disbelievingly. "Why'd you say that to Claire? It was _totally_ uncalled f-!"

"Will you be at least a little nice to me? I want this to work," Sawyer said.

"What are you t-?" Ana began. "Oh right. That. Fine, let's go. I'm hungry and I want to get back to eating."

When she saw he was about to speak, she grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the table. "I can walk for myself!" Sawyer protested as they neared the table.

"Can you?" Ana asked.

"Oh, funny," Sawyer said sarcastically.

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"I can't believe I have to go to my mom's house," Claire said angrily.

"When are you leaving?" Shannon asked.

"Tomorrow," Claire replied. "But it won't be so bad; Charlie agreed to come with me."

Shannon and Kate looked at her.

"Oh, come on, guys," Claire said. "We're just friends!"

"Yeah," Kate said. "For now."

"Oh, shut up," Claire said.

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**In my opinion, that was pretty lame. But next chapter Claire is in for a BIG surprise when she and Charlie get to her mom's house.**


	14. Girls and Their Gossip

**Ooh, readers, just to tell you, this 'surprise' isn't necessarily about Chaire… Sorry for not clearing that up!! It's more of a… bad type of surprise. Oh well! **

**Oh, and be sure to read my newest fic: Living in Lost!! Starring… MONICA GARDES!!! **

**Disclaimer: This is torture saying this but... I don't own Lost. **

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Charlie and Claire left at about the same time Boone and Shannon did. They all waved bye and left.

About ten minutes into the drive Claire brought up something that had been on her mind all night. "Did Sawyer mention anything to you about him and Ana?" Claire asked.

Charlie grinned. "Nooo," He said. "But I know what you mean. They definitely seem to be more than friends."

Claire pulled out her phone to text Shannon and Kate. "What are you doing?" Charlie questioned curiously.

"Spreading the news," Claire said innocently.

Charlie shook his head. "Girls and their gossip…"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Claire asked, pretending to be mad.

"Exactly what I said," Charlie replied. "What? You just sit there, waiting for them to text back?"

"Uh, yeah," Claire said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's just like talking on the phone, except it takes longer to type it than say it," Charlie said. "It's ridiculous."

"It is not," Claire said. Shannon and Kate both said something.

"'Yeah I knew it!-from Shannon'" Claire read. "'Finally, I was beginning to wonder whether they were going to stop flirting and just get on with it-from Kate'" 

"So, what," Charlie said. "You guys are just going to three-way on the phone for hours and hours at a time, spreading nasty rumors about the two?"

Claire laughed. "No," She replied. "But what I am going to do is text Ana right now."

"I'd like to see what she says to that," Charlie said. "And what EXACTLY are you going to say to her?"

"Hey Ana," Claire said as she typed. "Are you going out with Sawyer? If you aren't then it really seems like it."

Charlie laughed. "You are actually going to say it that bluntly?" He heard Claire's phone buzz. "What did she say?"

"'None of your business,'" Claire read aloud. "Well now there's only one thing left to do."

"And that is…?" Charlie asked.

"Text Sawyer," Claire said simply. "Ana for sure won't tell us, even though 'None of your business' means yes."

"Then why bother?" Charlie asked. _I will never understand girls,_ he thought hopelessly.

Claire didn't respond. "'Duh,'" she read aloud. "'What was your first clue?'"

They arrived at the house about 15 minutes later. Claire unlocked the door. She stepped in. "It's quiet in here," Claire whispered. "I've never been in this house when it was this quiet." She froze. "Too quiet."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, no," Claire muttered.

Suddenly, they both heard the sound of two pairs of feet running quickly down the stairs. They saw two faces come down the stairs. "Hi Claire!" They both shouted energetically, just as two 11 year old boys would. "Ooh, who's THIS?" One of them said, smiling mischievously.

"I could ask the same thing," Charlie said.

"Nice accent," The other boy said. "It that why you like him, Claire?"

" Carson!" She scolded, blushing. "That was rude!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Claire's new boyfriend," Carson said.

"Charlie's not my boyfriend," She mumbled, blushing even more.

"Right," The other boy said sarcastically.

"Well I guess I have some introductions to make," Claire announced loudly. The boys stopped talking immediately. "Carson, Peter, this is Charlie. Charlie, this is Carson and Peter. My brother and his friend."

"Nice to meet you," Carson and Peter rehearsed. Charlie just nodded in response.

"Anyway," Claire said. "What are you two doing here?"

Before they could answer, a small white puppy with brown spots scampered quickly into the room. "Tucker!" Carson said and began chasing the dog around the room.

" Carson said his mom was out of town," Peter explained. "So we came over here. What are you doing here?"

"My mom asked me to come water the plants and feed Tucker," Claire replied.

"Yeah, well," Carson said. "We can do that. You can leave now."

"Uh, no," Claire said. "You guys are not responsible enough. You'd probably forget and kill Tucker."

"NO!" Carson yelled.

"And we did not drive 45 minutes just to go right back again. You guys can stay, but just leave us alone." Claire said.

"Yeah, whatever, Claire," Carson muttered. "We all know the _real _reason you and Charlie came here. You probably just wanted to be alone together-."

"No," Claire interjected, blushing again. "That's not true."

"True," Peter argued back. "Really, Claire, what about Thomas?"

"What about Thomas?" Carson growled angrily. "I didn't like him. Once, he came over here and told me to go away. In my own house, too. I screamed at him and then my mom sent me to my room. It was so worth it though."

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "I didn't really like him either."

"I'm so sorry that you have to put up with this, Charlie," Claire apologized.

"Whatever, Claire," Carson said. "Come on, Pete, let's pop in Guitar Hero III before it gets gross down here."

" Carson!" Claire yelled. They ran upstairs. "This is so not going as planned."

"Its okay, Claire," Charlie said, while absentmindedly petting Tucker. "It doesn't really make a difference to me."

"I'm glad you can stand it," Claire said. "I'm going to call Kate. Maybe she is one of the only people in this world that doesn't drive me completely insane."

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Claire sat on her bed talking on the phone. To be specific, she was having a four-way conversation with Kate, Shannon, and Ana-Lucia, who sounded like she really did not want to be there. Charlie sat on the floor, throwing some rubber ball at the wooden post of her bed and catching it again. He tried to think of something else to do.

Charlie got up and headed towards the door. "Where are you going?" Claire asked. "No, I'm talking to Charlie."

"Bathroom," Charlie replied. Instead, he went to the Carson's room. "Hey," he said. "Where's your phone?"

"You going to listen in on Claire's conversation?" Carson asked.

"Yeah," Charlie replied.

"I am so in," Peter said. Carson joined in too.

They listened to ten minutes of pointless speech before Peter mouthed 'This is boring.'

But at that point, they heard Claire say, "Hey… where's Charlie?"

Carson pressed off on the phone. "You better go," he warned. Charlie got up and went back to Claire's room.

He walked in and sat back down where he was before. Claire gave him a suspicious look. "Bye," Claire said, and hung up. "That took a while."

"Yeah, I guess it did," Charlie grinned. Claire rolled her eyes.

"So, what's new?" Charlie asked casually.

"Nothing…" Claire sighed. "Once Ana hung up in the middle of the conversation it got kind of boring." She looked at the clock. "Oh, wow," She yelped. "Was I really talking that long? You must be bored out of your mind, I'm sorry."

"Well it wasn't _that_ boring," Charlie lied.

"Yes, it was," Claire said. "That's why you left and listened to our conversation."

"Yeah, that's basically it," Charlie said.

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**Finally I can put this up… keep reviewing! I love you all!! THANK YOU I'LL BE HERE NEXT WEEK! **


	15. What A Mountain Dew Can Do To You

**OK This is a great chapter in my opinion. NO I DON'T OWN LOST STOP ASKING ME!!!**

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"Well we better go ask the kids what they want for dinner," Claire sighed. They got up and went to Carson's room. Both were standing in front of the TV with fake guitars.

"Hey, guys," Claire greeted naturally. Charlie stared at them, confused. "What're you up to?"

"Guitar Hero," They both said robotically.

"That's crazy," Charlie muttered, watching the notes fly across the screen.

"It's quite fun, actually," Claire said. "There are 4 levels of hardness. In Easy, you only have to use the first three buttons. In Medium, it's the first four buttons. On Hard and Expert, you use all five. I'm on Hard, and these two are on Expert."

"Well, then," Charlie began. "What's the difference between Hard and Expert?"

"There's a HUGE difference," Carter explained. "Expert has more notes, and it is a bit faster too."

They saw the words PLAYER 2 ROCKS on the screen. "Oh yeah!" Peter exclaimed. Carson sighed, and handed Peter a $1 bill.

"I really don't think you two should be betting on your games," Claire told them.

"What just happened?" Charlie asked, staring at the screen.

All three people began explaining every detail about Guitar Hero, about the careers, battling, face-offs, bonus songs, etc.

"I think I understand it," Charlie said, overwhelmed. "It sounds pretty easy."

Carson laughed. "That's what I thought. Trust me; it's harder than it looks."

"You want to bet?" Charlie asked. "What's the hardest song?"

"Don't encourage them!" Claire said.

"Alright," Carson said. "$2.00 on both of us if the bet is a good one."

"I bet you," Charlie began, ignoring Claire who kept telling him not to encourage them. "That I can pass the hardest song on Expert. And I have never played this game before."

"He's not lying," Peter said. "I can tell."

"Okay," Carson agreed. "$4 on _Through the Fire and Flames _by Dragonforce on Expert."

"TTFAF?" Charlie asked. "Good song choices. After I win this bet, I'll have to look at the other songs that they picked."

"I guess you'll never be looking at the rest of the songs then," Peter said. Charlie just shook his head and got his fingers positioned. Carson set it up for him.

After the opening of the song, Carson and Peter were shocked. Not only had he passed the song, but he had gotten perfect on the beginning. They watched for the entire 7 minutes and 21 seconds of the song. Charlie passed, with an 89.

"That's impossible," Peter said.

"Keep the money," Charlie said. "Really. I just wanted to see you proved wrong."

"I guess that would've been a good time to tell you guys that he plays real guitar," Claire laughed.

"What?" Carson said, shocked. "I NEVER would've bet on that!"

They played a few more songs and battled with each other. Once the clock struck 6, they thought it was a good idea to start eating dinner. "So," Claire started. "What should we make?"

"Well, dearest sister," Carson said. "I was _actually _thinking-."

"What do you want?" Claire sighed exasperatedly.

"Pizza!" Carson and Peter shouted simultaneously.

"Sorry, kids," Claire said. "I brought no money, because mom said she left enough food in the fridge."

"I can pay for it," Charlie offered.

"Charlie, no," Claire said. "You really don't have to do that."

"It's no problem, really," Charlie persisted, pulling out his car keys. "Come on."

Claire shrugged and they went to the car. Charlie ordered it on his cell phone so it would be ready when they got there.

As they pulled up to the pizza place, Charlie offered to go in and get it. Once he was in the building, Carson immediately asked, "Claire, is he your boyfriend or not?"

"He's not!" Claire said exhaustedly.

"Aww," Peter groaned. "I like him. Way more than Thomas. What did you see in him?"

"I couldn't answer that if I tried, Pete," Claire answered. "Why do you guys think he's my boyfriend?"

They thought about that one. "You act like it," Carson said finally. "You guys are good together."

Claire laughed. "Keep on dreaming. We're just friends."

"For now," Peter and Carson said at the same time. They were going to say something else, but Charlie walked out at that time. They silenced immediately.  
The air in the car filled with the aroma of freshly cooked pepperoni pizza. "Two hot pepperoni pizzas," Charlie said.

"Hey, Charlie," Peter said suddenly. "Can I have a Mountain Dew with dinner?"

"I don't see why not," Charlie said, confused.

Carson and Claire groaned. "You had to say that," Claire said. Carson just shook his head.

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Charlie, Claire, Peter, and Carson sat around the dinner table while Charlie passed around the pizza. Peter pulled out a liter of Mountain Dew.

"That's a lot of MD, Pete," Carson said, eyeing the bottle.

"Not really," Peter replied. "What you think is a lot and what I think is a lot are two very different amounts."

They continued eating for a while, and in Peter's case, drinking. "That really is a lot of soda, Peter," Charlie said after a while. "Maybe you should stop."

"Too late," Peter said, taking the bottle away from his mouth. It was empty. They sat in silence for another few minutes. Peter couldn't sit still. He was bouncing up and down and tapping his fingers on the table.

"Hey," Peter said suddenly. He tapped his fingers on the table louder, quicker, and random-er. "This is Charlie playing Guitar Hero!" His eyes widened even more. "Guitar Hero!" He rushed upstairs.

"See what you do, Charlie?" Carson said. He sighed, and followed his friend upstairs. Charlie and Claire joined him. Peter was standing by the screen, and all it said was LOADING and GOOD LUCK.

"Through the Fire and Flames? On Expert?" Carson was saying. "You don't know what you're doing, Pete. This is the Mountain Dew acting, not you."

"Don't be absurd!" Peter responded. The notes began coming. Peter flailed his fingers across the fret buttons.

"Pete," Carson said, astonished. "YOU PASSED!!"

"I did?" Peter asked. "YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He smashed the guitar onto Carson's bed and ran down the stairs. "TUCKER! TUCKER I DID IT!!" He began chasing the dog around the entire house. After a few laps, he ran out the front door and to the neighbors' house. He rang the doorbell multiple times until someone answered. "HEY DUDE! I PASSED!! BECAUSE OF THE MOUNTAIN DEW!" He ran off. He waved his arms at some passing headlights. The car stopped. "I PASSED!!" he yelled.

"That's what a Mountain Dew can do to you," Carson sighed.

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After Peter was done yelling and was back in the house, they decided to do something that was somewhat calm. They agreed on playing cards. Carson, luckily, was an expert at card games and knew a ton of them. He taught them a fun game called Up And Down the River.

When it came to Peter's turn to deal, he flung the cards across the air to the people. "Gosh, Pete," Carson said. "You're going to take someone's eyes out."

The game continued with not much craziness. Carson won, but it was a close game with Claire right behind him, and Charlie and Peter tied for 3rd.

They began a game of Kings on the Corner. The game was quick, and Carson won again. "You won?" Peter asked. "DANG IT!" He threw his cards on the table and stormed out of the room.

"Clearly that Mountain Dew hasn't worn off," Charlie noted. Carson and Claire agreed.

They all gathered onto the couch to watch nice, quiet television. Suddenly, Peter blurted out, "Hey! I just noticed something," He pointed to Carson. "You have an _accent!_"

Carson raised his eyebrows. This was going to be a _long _night.

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**Ahh how I love Guitar Hero. Yes, I am on Expert, and no, I have not beaten Through the Fire and Flames. Except on No Fail, or when there's no Rock Meter. Next Chapter, Claire considers what Carson and Peter said about her and Charlie. Also, they go back to the school.**


	16. Spin The Mountain Dew

**OK OK I still don't own Lost… I'm working on it, okay? Bit o' Jate in this one… I aim to please, and please I shall. Please EVERYONE. Even Jaters.**

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Claire brushed her hair absentmindedly. She was thinking about earlier that day, when Carson and Peter had said about her and Charlie. _Did they really seem good together?_ Claire thought to herself. _Well, we do always hang out together. Maybe-_

She caught herself before she thought out the rest of that sentence. She thought carefully about how to put this, so she could understand. Even she had no idea what she was thinking. _Maybe we do look good together. Its not that I like him, it's just that he's a great friend. Yeah, that's it. Or is it? Do I actually like Charlie?_

Claire was snapped back into reality when she heard Charlie knocking on the bathroom door. "Are you done?" He yelled impatiently.

She walked out the door, and then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, SHOOT!" she almost shouted. "Charlie, Carson's birthday is tomorrow. Can you come with me to get a cake? We can tell them… that we're going to get ice cream."

"Sure," Charlie said, confused. He walked downstairs with Claire and grabbed his jacket.

"See you, guys," Claire yelled. "We're going out for ice cream."

"Oooh, how sweet," Peter mocked. "Can we come?"

"Uh, no," Claire said, doing all of the talking. "Maybe if you two hadn't eaten all of the ice cream in that no-hand-ice-cream-eating contest, then we wouldn't have to leave."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Carson moaned. "I still have a brain freeze. At least I won."

"Cheated, you mean," Peter said. "Whatever. They probably just want to be alone together, anyway."

"Peter, I swear if you don't be quiet, I think I'll just have to play Guitar Hero," Charlie warned.

"AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Peter screamed. "No… so scary… it's impossible, I tell you…"

They ignored him and left for Dairy Queen to pick up an ice cream cake. They decided to get ice cream anyway, to pass the time.

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Once Charlie and Claire arrived back in the house, Claire quickly stuck the cake in the basement freezer. "Alright," Claire whispered. "I invited a few of his classmates, and our friends so we don't die of little-kids-on-Mountain-Dew attack."

"Great," Charlie said. "You know, they're probably still awake."

"Yeah, I know they are," Claire replied. "With Peter like that, I doubt they will sleep."

Despite that fact, they decided to go to sleep. Claire helped Charlie set up a bed on the couch. They whispered good night to each other and Claire went to her bedroom. On the way, she swears she heard a bit of 'Cult of Personality' by Living Colour. She smiled to herself and fell asleep quickly.

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All the 11-year old guests had arrived, and it was 1 o' clock in the afternoon. Claire yelled upstairs. "Carson, Pete, get down here for lunch!"

They emerged from the room and everyone shouted "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" as loud as they could.

As Charlie was handing out pizza slices to the kids, the doorbell rang. Claire quickly answered it. Standing there were Claire and Charlie's friends from school. They all walked in and towards the kitchen to say happy birthday to Carson.

"Happy B-Day, Claire Junior," Sawyer said, taking the pizza off some girl's plate.

"Hey!" She yelled. "You are going to give that back right now."

Sawyer just looked at her and took a bite off of the end. The girl kicked him in the knee and then grabbed the pizza back.

"Nice job, Monica," Carson commented. "I have a name, you know," He told Sawyer. "Carson. You need me to spell that out? C-A-R-S-O-N."

"Well," Claire said quickly. "Just… stay over here and eat your pizza and cake. We will be over there." Claire brought all of the older people to the living room. Somehow, they got on the topic of the Christmas Dance.

"It's ridiculous," Jack said. "That they have all these dances. Why do we need so many?"

"It's not ridiculous," Kate argued. "What's ridiculous is that the only one who actually has a date here is Ana."

"Oh, thanks, Kate," Ana said sarcastically. "Really nice."

"I'll take you," Jack shrugged. "I got nothing better to do."

Kate looked at him and grinned. "That wasn't really romantic, now, was it?"

Jack sighed. "I'm so sorry," He said sarcastically. He grabbed her hand and looked her straight in the eye. "Kate, will you do me the honor of going to the Christmas Dance with me?"

Kate laughed. "Sure, why not?"

"What?" Jack asked. "After all the thought I put into that, all I get is "sure, why not?"

"Yeah," Kate stated. "Because you clearly put the most thought into it."

As everyone was talking Claire saw something out of the corner of her eye. Charlie, Carson, and her all reacted at the same time. They darted to the kitchen and over to the snack table. Four hands rested on a two-liter of Mountain Dew.

"Don't even think about it," Charlie warned. One of the hands was his.

"Not even a little bit," Claire said. One of the hands was hers. She realized how close her hand was to Charlie's.

"We don't want something like last night happening," Carson said. One of the hands was his.

"Just a glass," Peter moaned. "I'll save the rest for the other people." The last hand was his.

They all hesitated, but in the end they gave in. "Hey Claire," Peter asked, after draining the glass in about 5 seconds. "Can we play spin the Mountain Dew?"

"No!" Claire said. "What kind of stupid idea is that? The bottle isn't even empty!"

Charlie and Claire returned to the living room. "Sorry about that," Claire said.

"It's a long story," Charlie said. No one asked any further questions. There was a crash from the kitchen. Everyone looked at each other and then ran. Peter was standing on top of the broken piñata. He grinned.

"Carson said he didn't have a bat," Peter said.

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The older kids left Carson's birthday party while they were playing Guitar Hero. Presently, they were resting on swings at an empty kids' park, talking about… well… anything. In the middle of a conversation, they noticed a group of people their age walking towards the park, laughing. They tried to ignore them. Once the other group of people had arrived, they stopped in their tracks.

"Oh," One of them said, shocked. "Sorry. Didn't know you were here."

They carried over to the other side of the park and sat at some picnic tables. "Do I know them from somewhere?" Claire whispered.

"No," Sawyer said. "Doubt it." They carried on the conversation until one of them turned their heads and they saw his face.

Ana gasped. "We do know them! It's the… the… people we played in basketball! See the guy with the eye patch?"

They all looked over. It was true. The "Hostiles" was their team name. Unfortunately, one of the girls threw a snowball at a boy, who ducked and it zoomed right past them and hit Shannon instead.

The girl who threw the snowball rushed over to her. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said sincerely. "I didn't mean to. I was aiming for my brother." Shannon shooed her away.

"I'm really sorry," she said sadly.

"It's fine," Boone replied.

"It is not!" Shannon protested.

"Shannon, that couldn't have hurt!" Boone argued. "I know why you're mad. You're just mad that these guys beat you in basketball."

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**Another abrupt ending, I know. Sorry. I didn't know how long it was getting to be. Next chapter is mostly with the "Hostiles" and the "Not Hostiles" Keep on reviewin'!**


	17. Do I Know You?

**Yes Yes… the plan is working… except I still don't own lost.**

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"Basketball?" The girl asked. A look of realization came upon her face. "Oh! You guys were the first game of the season! I'm Alex, Alex Linus. Hey guys! Come over here!"

They groaned. The "Hostiles" were probably just going to rub it in their face that they won.

"These are the people we played at the beginning of the year!" Alex explained excitedly.

They nodded in understanding. "Nice to see you again," one of them said. Alex began introducing everyone. They reluctantly shared their names.

"We already know Ethan," Jack said as Alex got to him. She looked confused.

"Why did you come, Ethan?" Claire asked. "What was the point of coming to our school for just a week?"

"Science experiment," Ethan responded simply.

"We sincerely apologize for that," one of them, Ben, said. "If you would like to return the favor, a few of you could visit our school if you want."

"Why would we want to do something so stupid?" Sawyer growled rudely.

"We'd love to come to get to know you guys better," Kate interrupted.

"Excellent," Ben replied. "Unfortunately, the school permits only 3 people to come. Kate already volunteered, so anyone else?"

Jack nodded. Sawyer did too. "Weren't you just saying that it was a stupid idea?" Kate questioned.

"I'm a complex guy, sweetheart," Sawyer said in response.

"I don't think it's a good idea," Shannon said.

"No one cares what you think!" Boone said.

The person with the eye patch, Mikhail, handed Ben a cell phone, who studied it carefully. "Save that," Ben told Mikhail. "I want to read it more thoroughly later."

"Well," Ben continued. "It was wonderful seeing you all again. Alex, Juliet, are you coming?"

They shook their heads. "We'll meet up with you later," Alex told him. They mentally groaned. Personally, none of them wanted any of the "Hostiles" there.

They sat in silence for a while. No one had anything to say. "Should we be going back soon?" Ana asked.

"I don't know," Claire said. "Peter probably drank that entire bottle of Mountain Dew and we do not want to be there if he did."

"Where are you guys going?" Juliet asked curiously.

"None of your business," Ana snapped. Juliet looked down sadly. Alex became angry.

"Come on, Juliet," She stated. "We've got better things to do."

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It turns out that Peter had drunk all of the Mountain Dew, which was not a good thing. Everyone was laughing as Tucker chased Peter around the house. One girl, Janette, decided to join in and started chasing Tucker, who turned around and started chasing her. Fortunately, at that time, they're parents arrived to pick them up. They said bye to Carson and Peter. Once all of the guests left, including Claire's and Charlie's friends, Claire's mom walked in. "Happy Birthday Carson!" She said immediately.

"Mom!" He said happily. "I didn't know you would be back today!"

"I had to see you on your birthday," Claire's mom said. "Hi Claire! Who's your friend?" Carson and Peter snickered.

"Charlie," Charlie introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Littleton."

They talked and played cards for a while, and then Charlie and Claire took Carson and Peter back to the school. There wasn't much trouble, until a song from Rock Band started playing on the radio. Peter and Carson began singing along.

"_Are you ready, Steve?" _They practically shouted. _"Andy? Mick? Alright fellas- let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

Thankfully, they were at the school quicker than planned. They said bye to each other and headed off to their dorms.

Claire entered the dorm to find Shannon, Kate, Ana, and Libby watching a movie. They looked over at her when she walked in. They made room on a bed for her to sit down. "What's new?" She greeted.

"Did he ask you?" Shannon asked immediately.

"Did who ask me what?" Claire asked, confused.

"Did Charlie ask you out?" Kate said impatiently.

"What- No!" Claire said. "Why does everyone think that?"

Shannon shrugged. "Maybe because you guys are meant for each other?"

"You sound like my brother," Claire laughed. "And no, we're not!"

Shannon and Kate were about to say something else, but a loud THUD on the side of the wall interrupted them. They didn't hesitate at all to throw on their coats and run outside. Carson was lying on the ground, and Monica was helping him up. "What are you doing?" Claire said tiredly.

"Ice racing," Monica replied simply.

Peter slid over. "You are bad at this," He told Carson.

"Hey," Monica said defensively. "I could beat you easy."

"I doubt that," Peter argued. Claire just left them to their arguing and brought everyone back to the dorm.

"And you're related to him?" Ana asked.

"Sort of," Claire replied. "I think we have a different father. The main thing I remember about my dad is that he used to sing this song to me called 'Catch a Falling Star.'"

"Anyway," Shannon said. "Ana, Kate, what are you going to wear to the dance?"

They groaned. "Does it really matter?" Kate moaned.

"Uh, yeah," Shannon said. "You want to impress Jack and Sawyer don't you?"

"No," They said in unison. Ana added in, "Sawyer doesn't care. He thinks I look good whatever I wear."

Kate laughed. "Sure. I'll go with that too."

"Well just don't wear jeans and a t-shirt," Shannon said. "At least try to make yourselves look decent."

"Oh don't worry," Ana said. "I wouldn't wear that. It's _way_ too cold for a t-shirt."

Shannon glared at her. "Ha ha, so funny," She said sarcastically.

Kate raised her hand. "I- I think it was funny," Kate said.

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The next morning, Kate stood at the kitchen making eggs. The noise in the background was soothing and annoying at the same time. Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. She turned to him.

"Will you stop?!?!?!?" She hollered.

He looked bewildered. "Sorry," Charlie replied. Kate looked at him.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" she asked. "Other than school. You look so familiar when you play your guitar. You only look vaguely familiar when you don't, but whenever you do, it's like I know you."

"Well, you don't," Charlie said.

"Yes I do," Kate said. "I'm sure of it now. And I'll figure it out."

"No!" Charlie shouted. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. But you have to promise to keep it a secret. From everyone. Especially Claire. Got it?"

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**Wow. This one was pretty short. Review, and you probably have figured this one out by now. Keep reading! Gosh I'm sad…**


	18. No Shopping

**Ahh the never-ending sadness…**

**BartRules: Yes I saw that episode! They can't kill off my second favorite character when they just killed off my favorite! And Dezzy too? It's too horrible to imagine!!!**

**Disclaimer: No. I don't own LOST. I'm too sad to think of anything else to say.**

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"Now I know this wasn't on your school supplies list," the English teacher was explaining. "But I think it will be easier to type essays and do research with your own personal laptop."

The class glanced around at each other. "This is pointless," Ana whispered to Sawyer. "I don't want to have my 'own personal laptop' covered with unnecessary school stuff."

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Lucy," Sawyer replied.

"They have several different types at the school store," the teacher said. "But if you are not satisfied with any of them, then I suggest going out into town and purchasing one there. The bell is about to ring, so gather your things and get ready –_I said _get ready, James, not go- to go."

The bell rang declaring the last class of the day over. The group of people rushed outside. Kate settled on the couch with the rest of her friends around her. "We should probably get those laptops. But I don't want some crappy one that the school has. We deserve good ones. Let's go into town tonight. We can look for outfits for the dance while we're there, too."

"Kate!" Ana said. "No shopping? I thought you were on my side."

"I was," Kate said. "But it's going to be so fun because-,"

"Kate," Charlie said warningly.

"-because of things," Kate finished.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Shannon said. Everyone agreed and they set off.

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"We have no interest in coming _shopping _for clothes with you," Sawyer said.

"Neither do I, but I have to deal with it," Ana complained. "They tell me I have to look good to impress you."

"You look good in anything you wear," Sawyer told her.

"_I told you!_" Ana yelled to Shannon, who dragged her off anyway. "We'll meet you later!"

"This is ridiculous," Ana said, five minutes into the first shop.

"It's not like you have to wear some long gown," Shannon said. "But when Valentine's Day comes around-,"

"I don't think so," Ana interrupted. "Nothing pink. Pink makes me want to puke."

"Pick whatever you want," Shannon said. "Just let me approve of it."

After another few minutes, Ana said, "Are we going to have to wait for you? Because you don't even have a date and you're shopping anyway."

"No, you won't," Shannon snapped.

Ana froze. "Hey Kate," she said. "Come here."

Kate walked over to her. "Look at this," Ana said, holding out a top and pants. "Not my thing, but I think you could pull it off," Ana added. "Shannon, what do you think?"

Shannon came over too, and Claire as well. "Try it on, Kate."

Kate sighed and went to the changing rooms. She had to admit that she liked it, _and_ she was very excited for the Christmas dance. The top was simple and the colors of fall. The sleeves went down to her elbows and a silky orange ribbon tied around her stomach. The pants were cargo and the color of her hair. She walked out to show everyone else.

"Ooh its totally you," Claire said.

"It's perfect," Shannon said. "Unless of course you want a dress."

"Sure," Ana said, not really paying attention.

Kate bought the outfit and they continued to search for Ana's. Actually, it was mostly Shannon, Claire, and Kate, while Ana sat in the corner. "Ana," Kate called. "Get over here. I think you might like it."

Ana sighed and stood up. "This better be worth it," she said while walking over. She looked at what Kate had picked. It was all black, which is just how Ana liked it.

"Try it," Shannon told her. Ana was forced into the changing room in which she very reluctantly changed. It suited her; the pants were black velvet with a white ribbon around her waist like a belt. The top had long sleeves that were tight at the top and loosened as they neared her wrists. The top of it was a series of jewels with varying sizes in a pattern. She also had a headband that was black with a white outline and more jewels in a pattern.

Ana walked out of the changing room. "Alright let's buy it," Shannon said impatiently.

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"It's about time," Sawyer said as the girls neared the store.

Ana shrugged. "I would've been happy with anything but _no."_

"Well get your computers and let's get out of here," Sawyer said impatiently. Sawyer started showing Ana around. Sayid was explaining to Shannon and Kate all of the technical advantages of each type. They clearly had no idea what he was talking about. Claire was probably the only one who knew what was going on, because Shannon and Kate were lost in Sayid's explanations and Sawyer kept getting off-topic which annoyed Ana a lot.

"Which one did you get?" Ana asked Sawyer.

"Well, I thought it through carefully," Sawyer replied. "And I came up with this complicated method called Eenie-Meenie-Minie-Mo."

Ana laughed. "Works for me."

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ConfidenceMan has entered the chat.

Shoot'EmUpGirl has entered the chat.

ConfidenceMan: Who r u?

Shoot'EmUpGirl: Look to ur rite.

Sawyer looked towards his right. Ana sat with her laptop in front of her, with the exact same chat room up.

ConfidenceMan: I c.

YouAllEverybody has joined the chat.

YouAllEverybody: Whats new?

Shoot'EmUpGirl: Charlie?

YouAllEverybody: Yep.

DriveShaftFan has joined the chat.

YouAllEverybody: LOL Kate. Nice.

DriveShaftFan: I thought u would approve.

H4u8r15l16e23y42 has joined the chat.

DriveShaftFan: That "joined the chat" thing is really annoying. I just blocked it.

ConfidenceMan: Good idea.

HardCore-ean: Hi check this out! I am speaking English!

Shoot'EmUpGirl: LOL Jin!??!?!

ConfidenceMan: When did u get here?

HardCore-ean: Just now. Do you not care that I am speaking English?

AstrologerL: That's pretty cool Jin.

DriveShaftFan: And this is…?

AstrologerL: Claire! U didn't know I liked astrology?

DriveShaftFan: Noooo…

AstrologerL: Kate r u a Gemini?

DriveShaftFan: OMG yes.

IraqUrSox: Wow that was amazing. How do u do that?

AstrologerL: I can tell. She's restless, passionate. Yeah…

BpoBpo: Hello. Has Jin come on yet?

HardCore-ean: Yes Sun. I am here. And I am using the English translator.

Carlyle41: Wow there r a lot of people on.

WannabePicasso: U got that rite.

TwinkiesRGood: Hi Boone! Hi Michael!

H4u8r15l16e23y42: How do u kno who they r?

TwinkiesRGood: I just do.

ConfidenceMan: Who r u?

TwinkiesRGood: John. Locke. John Locke.

LaMer: Is everyone on?

CardShark: Looks like it.

DriveShaftFan: Will u guys plz introduce urselves when u get on?

CardShark: I'm Jack and LaMer is Shannon.

ConfidenceMan: LOL Jack is a CardShark? Keep on dreamin', doc.

CardShark: Well u wanna play sum poker?

ConfidenceMan: Yeah I do. Who else is in?

DriveShaftFan: I am!

H4u8r15l16e23y42: Sure y not.

ElectroMagnet: Hey there.

LaMer: Who r u?

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**I love chatting on AIM. Who is that? WHO!??!? I DON'T KNOW!! Next Chapter- ElectroMagnet will say his name… maybe then the Christmas Dance?**


	19. I'm So Excited

**I realize that I haven't put in much Hubby in this fic so this is the chapter. Also, ElectroMagnet is…**

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ElectroMagnet: I… umm…

CardShark: I'm back.

H4u8r15l16e23y42: Jack pwns at poker.

ConfidenceMan: I hate to admit it but that's true.

ElectroMagnet: R u Jack?

CardShark: I'm Jack. And who r u?

ElectroMagnet: I'm… uh… Daniel Faraday.

DriveShaftFan: Daniel Faraday? And what r u doing here?

ElectroMagnet: I… uh… trying to find something and someone…

ConfidenceMan: Who and what?

ElectroMagnet: Have any of you seen someone with the username Maelstrom?

CardShark: No…

ElectroMagnet: Hold on… let me just do something real quick… This'll be easy…

ElectroMagnet has left the chat.

AstrologerL: Meet in real life guys.

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"Who is this guy?" Claire asked. "Jack, he seems to know you."

"Well I don't know him," Jack said. "That's for sure."

Shannon logged on. "He's back on!"

ElectroMagnet: Hey! I found him! Y did u leave?

LaMer: I'm here.

ElectroMagnet: Alright that's great… who r u?

LaMer: My name is Shannon.

ElectroMagnet: Where is ur current location?

LaMer: There is no way I'm telling you that.

ElectroMagnet: OK well then I'm just going to install this little thing here…

"What is he talking about?" Shannon questioned.

"I don't even think he knows what he's talking about," Ana replied.

ElectroMagnet: No way! U go to that one school on 8th street? I can get there in a matter of minutes!

LaMer: Well y would u want to do that?

ElectroMagnet: Hold on… I can't get the exact location… Oh here it goes. Ur somewhere near dorm 108? Cool!

LaMer has left the chat.

"What was that about?" Shannon asked.

"I don't know," Sayid said. "Keep watching the chat. See what he says."

ElectroMagnet: Hey where'd u go?

Maelstrom: Dan? That u?

ElectroMagnet: Miles! I was wondering where u were…

Maelstrom: What r u talking about? Dan- who were you talking to?

ElectroMagnet: Someone from that school down the street.

Maelstrom: Do they know where he is?

ElectroMagnet: No… well I didn't really ask them bcuz I had just figured out where they were and… yeah…

Maelstrom: Dan! We have to find him!

ElectroMagnet: Let's go get Frank and Charlotte and look for him.

"That was even weirder," Claire said. They agreed. "Let's just ignore that entire conversation and move on with our lives."

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"Hey Libby," Hurley said. "What're you doing?"

"Hi Hurley," Libby replied. "Just a bit of homework."

"Oh that's cool," Hurley said. "Well not really- homework's not that cool."

Libby laughed. "Yeah you're right. Luckily for me, this is pretty easy homework."

"That's cool," Hurley said. "Anyway… are you excited for the Christmas Dance coming up?"

"Oh, yeah, totally," Libby answered. "I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Don't you?"

"Yeah," Hurley said. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you-maybe- if you want- do you want to come to the dance with… me?"

"Hurley," Libby said to interrupt his stammering. "That sounds like a great idea. I would love to come with you."

"Really?" Hurley said. "Well… cool! That's awesome. See you then!"

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Desmond looked up when he felt someone sit next to him. It was Penny.

"Hi Desmond," Penny greeted. "I haven't really talked to you much recently. How're you doing?"

"I'm good," Desmond said, confused. "And you?"

"I'm great, thanks," Penny replied sweetly. "And I never actually got to tell you that I had a great time at the Thanksgiving Feast with you."

"Really?" Desmond said. "So did I."

They sat in silence for another few minutes. Desmond finally broke the silence, "So do you think that you would have another great time at the Christmas Dance with me?"

"I think that I would," Penny said. "I guess we'll just have to find out, yeah?"

"My thoughts exactly," Desmond said.

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"I'm so excited!" Kate exclaimed for about the 15th time in the last ten minutes.

"I _know_," Shannon said tiredly. "I never knew you liked Jack that much."

"It's not _all _about Jack," Kate said. "There are some…other…things."

"Of course," Claire said sarcastically.

"I'm so excited!" Kate said, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Kate," Shannon sighed. "Calm down. The Christmas Dance isn't for another 4 hours."

"But I'm so excited!" Kate moaned.

Claire and Shannon sighed. This was going to be a _long _4 hours.

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"Ana are you ready yet?" Kate yelled impatiently.

"Kate, Sawyer and Jack aren't even here yet."

"Who cares about them?" Kate said. "I just want to go! I'm so excited!"

There was a knock on the door. "They're here Ana!" Kate shouted immediately. "Let's go!" She answered the door to see Sawyer, Jack, Sayid, and Charlie waiting there.

"Hi!" Kate yelled. "ANA! HURRY UP!"

Ana ran out of the bathroom. "I'm here, okay? Calm down Kate."

Kate ignored her and grabbed Jack's hand and hurried to the dance. Ana fell into step beside Sawyer. "She really is into this," Sawyer noted.

"Oh, please," Ana said. "I came over to her dorm 2 hours ago and I couldn't stand her. Claire and Shannon had to put up with her all day."

Sawyer laughed and put his arm around Ana's shoulders. "I better be glad I'm not you then."

Kate stood impatiently at the door with Jack. "It's about time!" She hollered when they got there.

"Kate," Claire said. "What is with all this rushing and hurrying?"

"I'm sure it's nothing," Charlie said immediately.

Kate ran into the middle of the dance floor. Jack slowed up and asked Charlie, "What is with her?"

Charlie just shrugged. "Girls just seem to be way more into this then we do."

Kate glared at the DJ. "His music system sucks," Kate commented. "No one can dance to this! It's all crackly and… bad."

Charlie was the only one not listening. Instead, he checked his watch and glanced over to where his brother, Liam, was standing.

"Claire," Charlie said suddenly. "Come up front here. Kate, you too." He dragged them over to the front where the DJ was. Claire was confused, while Kate was still bouncing up and down excitedly. "I'll be back soon." And Charlie rushed off.

Slowly, Jack, Sawyer, Ana, Sayid, and Shannon gathered around here. "Maybe we should just leave," Claire suggested after 10 minutes of waiting.

"NO!" Kate shouted, still bouncing anxiously.

Claire looked at her skeptically. "Did you have a Mountain Dew, Kate?"

"No," Kate answered impatiently. "I hate soda."

"How do you hate soda?" Sawyer asked, shocked.

"How do you _like_ soda?" Ana asked. "I hate fizz. That's the worst part."

"Guys!" Kate shouted. "Be quiet!"

"Kate!" Jack said. "What has gotten into you?"

His question was answered when Liam burst through the doors and ran up on stage. He yelled to the DJ to leave, which he did, and brought his music with him. Angry outbursts from the crowd echoed through the hall. Liam somehow calmed them down enough to be heard as he said, "We want real music!" Kate was the only one who cheered when he said this. "Introducing… DRIVE SHAFT!"

The doors burst open again and three people came running in with a guitar, a bass, a microphone, and somehow, drums. It was only when they were up onstage playing when Claire noticed the bassist.

It was Charlie.

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**Once I said 'Drive Shaft' I'm pretty sure you all knew what was going to happen. Next Chapter- Claire's reaction. Maybe some more of Dan because Dan has easily become one of my favorite characters in the show. DAN!!**


	20. Finally The Time

**Okay maybe Claire's reaction is not as you might think…**

**I would like to thank those who have kept reading and reviewing. You guys rock!**

**And also, don't forget to skim through my other fic! I'm not working on it for nothing you know!**

**Warrior Princess: I thought people wouldn't like as much Sana, but just for you I'll put some in later chapters!**

**Disclaimer: If I could lie and say I owned Lost, I would. Unfortunately, that is called 'stealing.' And is not good.**

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The whole school was screaming. There were members of a famous band in their school, and they didn't even know it.

"Claire!" Carson screamed. He and Monica stood there waiting for Claire to turn around. "Why didn't you tell me he was in Drive Shaft?"

"I didn't know," She said, just loud enough for them to hear it. They shrugged and ran off, with Peter and Janette close behind.

Claire was now standing at the back of the cafeteria, in a corner by herself. Kate had gone off to dance with Jack, and the same with Ana and Sawyer. She didn't mind and wanted to be alone with her thoughts. The music was preventing that though, as was the hundreds of people screaming and cheering.

Since the music was so distracting she just trudged off to her dorm. It's not like anyone would notice.

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She could hear the music from her room too, but only a little. She didn't know why she wasn't excited like everyone else. Maybe because it was Charlie, and she had expected him to tell her at least. The door opened. Was the party over already? Kate, Shannon, and Ana ran in laughing.

"Claire!" Shannon gasped. "There you are! How long have you been here?"

"Two hours," She whispered.

"You missed it!" Kate shouted. "It was so hilarious! Sawyer ran up onstage and then did a stage dive!"

"It was so embarrassing!" Ana laughed.

"How come you didn't tell us?" Shannon asked. "That Charlie was in Drive Shaft?"

"I didn't know!" She repeated angrily.

Kate raised her hand, still laughing. "I knew."

Claire looked up at her. "Since when?"

"Since that day after we went shopping," Kate said. "I said I'd recognized him from somewhere, and he told me not to tell anyone. I'm sorry."

They heard people screaming and yelling outside. Ana opened the door and they all looked out. A bunch of Drive Shaft fans were swarming around Charlie's dorm. Claire sighed and closed the door.

"This is going to be a long night," Claire said sadly.

"Yeah," Kate said. "Imagine what it must be like for Charlie. Wow, Claire, you're probably going to get questioned a lot tomorrow."

"Why me?" Claire said angrily. "Why not you guys? You hang out with him too."

They seemed shocked by her anger. "Well, yeah," Shannon sputtered. "But you're like his closest friend that's a girl."

"Doubt that," Claire said. "He never told me, did he? He told Kate. And even if that is true, not for long. Did you see all of those girls out there?"

"Do I sense jealousy, Claire?" Shannon said smirking.

"No!" she shouted and stormed out of the dorm.

Shannon, Kate, and Ana stared at each other, shocked. "What is up with that?" Kate asked.

"I really think she's jealous," Shannon said. "And doesn't know it."

"In a way, that's true," Ana said. "She probably thinks that Charlie will be getting so much attention now, he won't have any time to hang out with her anymore."

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Claire ran out of the dorm and outside. She sat on a bench in the cold air. She wasn't jealous. Not in any way. Or so she thought.

"Claire?" She looked up. It was Libby. She sat down next to her. "What are you doing out here?"

"They think I'm jealous," Claire told her. Libby nodded, knowing who they were and what this was about.

"Just because everyone knows Charlie is famous, doesn't mean he won't have time for you," Libby said. "I think he wanted to impress you, Claire. He wanted it to be a surprise."

"Yeah, right," Claire said. "He probably just wants attention."

"Do you think Charlie would do that?" Libby asked. "Do you really think Charlie is that kind of person?"

Claire knew the right answer, and definitely did not want to admit it. "No. He wouldn't."

Libby nodded. "I'm sure your roommates are worried about you. Maybe you should go back."

Claire shook her head. "I just want to stay here. I need to think."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Libby asked. Claire smiled.

"No," Claire said. "Go back to your dorm. Tell Ana I'm okay, and that I'm sorry."

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Dan heard the music from his house, and he recognized the band. "Drive Shaft," he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Miles asked.

"It's Drive Shaft," Dan said. "You know- Liam Pace?"

"Oh yeah," Miles said, drinking hot chocolate. "Do you think he's there?"

Dan stared ahead toward where the school would be if he could see. "Maybe. You never know."

"Where are they?" Miles said impatiently. "They were supposed to be here by now!"

"Charlotte said she and Naomi would be late, didn't she?" Dan said. "And- uh- You know Frank. He can't tell a four from an eight."

"Neither can you, Dan," Miles said.

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Claire got up from the bench at around 1 o' clock in the morning. Shivering, she walked slowly back towards the dorm. She heard two peoples' voices. She recognized them. One was the gym coach's and the other was her English teacher's.

"I really don't think it's a good idea," the coach was saying. "I mean, the 'Hostiles' might be jerks or something and rub it in our faces that they won."

"Just forget about sports," The English teacher said. "It's tradition that we invite one other school to celebrate New Year's Eve with us."

Claire got enough of the conversation and carried on, considering the information that she just overheard. Maybe it would be a good idea to get to know them, not through sports, that is.

She crept into her room and crawled into her bed. Kate and Shannon were sleeping already. Ana had gone back to her dorm. She hoped they got Libby's message as well as Ana.

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"Is this true?" Miles asked. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes," Naomi replied. "It would be the perfect time for you to sneak in, and you can find your man."

"New Year's Eve," Miles muttered to himself.

"You realize that we're coming with you?" Frank asked. "Whether you like it or not."

"Yeah," Miles said. "Just make sure no one gets suspicious. We can't have them figure out that we're not from either school."

"Naomi," Dan said. "When does this party start?"

"Six," Charlotte answered for her. "Till noon the next day."

Miles ignored the conversation and pulled out the picture. It was about time he gets what's coming to him. Was this finally going to be the time Miles found him?

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**This chapter may be kind of short but I like it! I'm actually quite proud of it! Next chapter- New Years! I know there was just a dance last chapter but a lot will happen in the next chapter! Happy New Years!**


	21. One Week

**You know what's weird? According to FanFiction, Chapter 9 and Chapter 13 have the exact same number of words… I wouldn't recommend counting, though.**

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The next few days went on without problems. They didn't see much of Charlie, and when they did, they were always interrupted by people coming for autographs, or asking Charlie to sit with them at lunch. Charlie always said yes, but his excuse was 'he had to please the fans.' This made Claire angrier. But when they asked if she was okay, she would kindly respond, 'yes, thank you.'

"I can't believe its New Year's Eve already," Shannon said excitedly. "It's my favorite of all holidays."

"Why?" Kate and Claire asked curiously. They would think that someone like Shannon's favorite holiday would be Christmas, for presents.

"My dad and I would spend the whole day together," Shannon told them. "Doing anything we wanted, without the interruption of Sabrina or Boone. But that was when he was alive."

"Well Shannon," Claire said boldly. "Just because your dad is… not here anymore, doesn't mean it can't still be your favorite holiday. What do you want to do?"

Shannon shrugged. "Whatever fate wants us to do."

Claire gasped suddenly. "I can't believe I forgot to tell you!" She said. "You know that team we played at the beginning of the year? The only ones we lost to? They were invited to celebrate New Year's with us!"

Shannon and Kate groaned. Ana, who just arrived there, moaned, "You have got to be kidding."

Claire shook her head. "I overheard Coach complaining about it."

"Well, then," Ana said. "I am so spending the whole evening with Sawyer then. Unless he goes to talk to one of them. Then I would be gone in an instant."

Kate laughed. "I really doubt he would do that. He hates them as much as you do, Ana."

"I'm telling him already," Ana said, texting. "He says 'I guess I'm spending the whole evening with you.' That is so weird! I totally just said that!"

"That just proves you're a perfect couple," Shannon said. "If you think the same thing, say things at the same time, or finish each others' sentences."

Ana shook her head, laughing. "If you say so."

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They stood at the door watching the 'Hostiles' poor through the doors. Sometimes they would recognize people from the basketball team, and the ones that they saw at the park in Claire's neighborhood. One of them, Juliet, spotted them and walked over.

"Hi, guys," Juliet said. "I like your school. It's really nice, from everything I've seen of it."

"Thanks," Jack said kindly. "I'm glad you like it."

Juliet smiled and wandered off. Once everyone had gathered, the crowd started chanting 'Drive Shaft!' No one joined in for Claire's sake. She understood this and was grateful for it. Charlie ran up onstage and everyone cheered.

"Drive Shaft is unable to play tonight!" He yelled over the crowd, who 'awwed' loudly. Many people began to shout 'why?'

"We're lacking a singer," Charlie answered. "And we don't take volunteers either. And also, our guitarist says to leave him alone. And so does our drummer. And so do I, as a matter of fact."

Claire smiled to herself. Libby was right. But Claire knew that all along.

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"Hey," Juliet said, approaching Jack. "Who are they?" She said, pointing to a group of five people in the back of the room. "They've been standing there that entire time, refusing to talk to anybody."

Jack looked over. He didn't know, and he knew everyone in his grade. They all looked about his age. "They're not in your school?"

Juliet shook her head. "No. And I know everyone in my school. They look our age, don't they?"

"Yeah," Jack replied absentmindedly.

"Jack!" Jack heard Charlie shout his name. One person of the group looked over. "Have you seen Claire? I can't seem to find her anywhere."

"No," Jack said, concerned when the guy looked over. He didn't seem to look away. "Sorry, Charlie." Charlie sighed and left.

Jack glanced over again. The guy who was looking over earlier was now talking to someone else, and pointing in Jack's direction. All five of them began walking over.

"Hey there," The man who was looking over earlier. "Are you Jack?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I'm Jack. And who are you?"

"I'm- uh," He stammered. "I'm… I'm Daniel Faraday."

"Daniel…" Jack remembered. "Like on the computer?"

"The very same," Dan answered happily.

"Hold on," Jack said. "Just one second." Jack pulled out his phone and texted everyone to come over there. They all came over quickly.

"Hello," Dan greeted.

Jack told them everything.

"And who is this?" Sayid asked, indicating everyone else.

"Uh… well…" Dan said. "This is- here- this is Charlotte Lewis, Naomi Dorrit, Frank LaPiduz, and Miles-,"

"Don't tell them my last name!" Miles warned.

"-Well I guess this is just Miles," Dan finished.

"And what might you be doing here?" Sayid asked.

"Well- that's the thing-," Dan stammered.

"Forget the small talk, Dan," Miles said. He pushed past Dan and went right up to Jack. "Where is he?" He yelled in an in-your-face type of way.

"What?" Jack asked. "Where is-?"

"You want to know why we're here?" Miles asked. "I'll tell you why we're here! We're here for Benjamin Linus." He whipped out a photo.

"Benjamin Linus?" Jack questioned. "He doesn't go to this school-."

"What?" Miles interrupted. He turned to Dan. "You said that he'd be here!"

"Well- I-," Dan said. "I-uh- thought that- Miles, it must be that other-."

"Wait," Jack said. "Just because he doesn't go to this school, doesn't mean he's not here.

He's one of the people that came from the visiting school."

"Where is he?" Miles asked, but kinder this time and yet still demanding. Jack pointed to Ben who was standing somewhere else, talking to Alex and Mikhail. Miles stormed past Jack and to Ben.

"This'll be good," Frank said, and they all left to see what would happen. Jack, curious, followed.

"Do you know who I am?" Miles shouted at Ben. "I know you know who I am! My name is Miles Straume. Do you remember now? You owe me 3.2 million dollars!"

"Miles-," Dan said. "Just let him-,"

"Let him do what?" Miles yelled. "Let him manipulate his way past it again? No way, Dan. I've been waiting for this for years. He owes me, and you know it!" Dan silenced, and nodded slowly.

A teacher came by. "Someone says you're not supposed to be here," The teacher said. "Come on. You five- you're leaving."

"You have one week, Linus!" Miles shouted. "One week! You hear? Or I'll send them after you!" They were dragged from the hall.

"What was that about?" Alex whispered. "Ben?"

"I'll tell you later, Alex," Ben said, glancing at Jack. Jack headed back to his friends.

"Let's just ignore this," Jack said, before they could ask any questions. "We can talk about it later. Kate, may I have this dance?"

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**This one may be a bit short too… you never know! Alright there was my fair share of Dan and Miles for now… next, is mostly the rest of New Years Eve. Happy New Year!**


	22. Why Five?

**I love writing so much… it's like Guitar Hero. You have to hit the right keys at the right time. Lots of romance in this chapter. Jate, Sana, Hubby, Shayid, Denny. Maybe a brief mention of Chaire.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Lost, would I be writing a fanfic? No. I would be writing the show.**

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Kate and Jack went off dancing. Shannon was busy asking Sayid to tell her the exact countdown until midnight. Charlie was trying to find Claire, and Claire was trying to find Charlie. Ana sighed. She was spending the whole evening with Sawyer, just as planned. Not like they were doing anything. "Sawyer," Ana said, bored out of her mind. "Want to dance?"

"Not really," Sawyer answered. "But I get the feeling I'm going to anyway." He was right. Ana dragged him off to the dance floor.

"1 hour and 42 minutes," Sayid told Shannon. "And I'm not going to do seconds. That's too much."

Shannon laughed. "I wouldn't make you do that." She stared sadly at the clock. "This is my first New Year's without my dad. Did you know that?"

Sayid shook his head. "No. And I'm very sorry."

"Don't be," Shannon said. "It gives me a chance to move on. To resolve not to depend on him so much. And I have no choice but to do that."

Sayid smiled sadly. "Well, you can always depend on me."

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"Claire!" Charlie shouted, finally catching sight of her. "I was looking for you forever!"

"Hi Charlie!" Claire said. "I was looking for you too!"

"I haven't been able to talk to you for a while," Charlie began awkwardly.

"Oh that's okay!" Claire lied. "You've had a lot of autographs to sign, after all."

"I _know,_" Charlie sighed. "The people that have heard of Drive Shaft- you'd be surprised."

"I don't know," Claire said. "You are more famous than you think."

"Not worth it," Charlie said quickly. Claire laughed. "I miss hearing you laugh like that."

Claire blushed. "Don't let your fangirls hear you saying that. They won't be happy."

"Them?" Charlie questioned. "Who cares what they think? I only care what you think."

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Kate sat down. "Dancing is more tiring than you think," she said.

Jack sat down next to her. "Yeah," he said. "We can take a break if you want."

"Please," she said. "Dang it- right before this song too? I like this song."

Jack laughed. "Oh the irony…"

Kate shook her head exasperatedly. "It seems to follow me. Irony."

"Make any resolutions?" Kate asked Jack after a while.

"I kind of want to learn more about surgery," Jack said thoughtfully. "I really want to be a doctor like my dad."

"When you grow up," Kate began. "And you're a busy surgeon; your wife will not like it. You don't want to be a doctor. Your wife will think you aren't taking enough time with her so she'll start dating some other guy and leave you."

Jack looked at her. "And you know this how?"

"I have no idea," Kate replied, laughing. "I made it up on the spot. But if you think about it, it's logical. But I wouldn't do that if my husband was a doctor. I would understand that he was saving lives and I'd be proud."

"Maybe I should marry you then," Jack teased.

"Maybe you should," Kate laughed. "Doctors get a lot of money. You could get me a big house and anything our kids want."

"So now you're only marrying me for the money?" Jack said sarcastically. "And since when are we having kids?"

"Since I said so," Kate said, still laughing.

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"Here is your cherry punch," Sawyer said, handing Ana a glass of cherry punch.

"Thank you," She said sweetly.

"Your hair is messed up," Sawyer commented.

"Thanks," She said sarcastically. "You really shouldn't say that to a girl. They won't like it."

"You don't seem to be taking it very badly," Sawyer said smugly. "And just because it is messed up doesn't mean I don't like it."

"I'm not taking it badly because I don't care," Ana said back. "Other girls will care. And thank you."

"I like girls who don't care about their looks," Sawyer said. "They look good."

"Does that make any sense at all?" Ana asked.

"Probably not," Sawyer shrugged. "I still like girls who don't care about their looks. Well I shouldn't say that. I like girls that don't obsess about their looks."

Ana laughed. "I guess you picked the right girl then."

"I know I did," Sawyer said. He kissed her.

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Shannon was excited. Only...

"Five more minutes!" Shannon exclaimed. Sayid laughed.

"This really is your favorite holiday," Sayid said.

"I like counting down," Shannon commented. "It's so dramatic."

"You know," Sayid said awkwardly. "I've heard its good luck to kiss someone when the clock strikes zero. Just a rumour."

Shannon thought about that. "Well," She began. "Maybe we should just find out?"

"Maybe we should," Sayid noted. They stood in silence, waiting for the countdown.

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"And we'll have five kids," Kate was explaining to Jack.

"Why five?" Jack asked. He decided not to argue with her anymore. Whenever he did she would just crack up laughing anyway.

"Because it's a solid, rounded number," Kate said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh of course," Jack said. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Kate laughed. Jack could make her laugh so easily. "How many boys and how many girls?" Kate asked.

"Would we really get to choose that?" Jack asked. Kate laughed again.

"Yes."

"Oh right," Jack said. "Sorry I forgot. Um… two boys and three girls I guess."

"That sounds perfect!" Kate said. "Names?"

"Can I please finish medical school before I have kids?" He said. He found it cute that she was carrying this joke out. So did she.

"No," Kate said.

"Fine!" Jack said, pretending to be offended. She laughed again.

"Okay this is really getting ridiculous," Kate commented.

"Thank you!" Jack said. "I was starting to wonder when you would say that!"

Kate laughed, and then gasped. "The countdown!" She said. "Let's go!" She dragged him off by the hand.

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"5!" The school was counting down. "4! 3! 2! 1! 0!"

At the word zero, the cafeteria was full of kissing couples, including Ana/Sawyer, Jack/Kate, Shannon/Sayid, Libby/Hurley, and Desmond/Penny. Claire looked at Charlie. She smiled, embarrassed, at him, and he returned the smile. She was happy for her friends, but she couldn't help but remember all the happy New Year's Eves she had with Thomas. She also couldn't help but wonder what would be happening now if she and Thomas were still going to the same school. She didn't want to think about it. Thomas wasn't ever going to spoil another of her days again.

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"I could kill him!" Miles said. "Stealing _our_ 3.2 million dollars? Who does he think he is?"

No one answered him. "Miles," Frank said carefully. "Do you think you are going a bit overboard with this?"

"3.2 million is a lot of money, Frank," Miles told him. "You want it just as much as I do! Dan!" He yelled suddenly and randomly. "What are you doing now?"

Dan looked up from his machine. "I- uh-," He began. "I was actually trying to see if maybe I could see them from here-you know-try and see what Ben is doing."

Miles looked at him strangely. He knew that Dan did things like this all the time, but it never ceases to amaze him. "You do that Dan. You do that."

"Hey- hey Frank," Dan said. "I was wondering-could I just use your phone for a second? I was- I want to call Regina. This- this isn't working as I planned."

Frank wordlessly handed him the phone. "Alright, Dan. But if Minkowski answers, you hang up right away, got it?" Dan nodded vigorously and took the phone.

"Regina here," Someone answered. It was on speaker. Dan turned it off.

"Hey Regina, its Dan," Dan said. "Did you put that thing in the- yeah? You did? Okay great…" Dan was watching his machine intently. "Regina- I don't have the signal… that's far more than weird. You still there? What's Ben up to? Alright… bye."

"Dan," Miles said slowly. "Let me get this straight. Did you send Regina there to spy on Ben?" Dan nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" Miles hollered.

"Okay well here's the thing," Dan explained. "I asked Regina to put some cameras up in Ben's school and they would show up on this little thing here. But it wasn't working earlier, so she was going to keep a watch on Ben while we figured out. And then she said she had the answer, but it still didn't work."

"What is Ben doing?" Miles asked.

"Regina says he's just talking and eating, just like everyone else," Dan answered. Miles stared out the window. Ben was going to hand it over, whether he wanted to or not.

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**How did you like it? Tell me in your reviews!**

**Next chapter- I really don't know! That's a good question!**


	23. Who Needs Her?

**Last Chapter was a ridiculous amount of Jate… I want it to be over! But I was trying to please all so bear with me. And I'm confused. Someone says they want Sana, someone else says they want Skate. But they will be together by prom… whenever that was! Also I could do a 'summer break' fic after this one, tell me what you think about it!**

**Disclaimer: Wow that's an intense solo… I mean, I don't own Lost.**

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"I'm not tired," Ana said when the party was finally over. All of her friends thought differently.

"How can you not be tired?" Kate yawned. "I'm going to be sleeping all day." Everyone agreed with that.

"Fine," Ana said. "I'll just go… play pool." And with that she left.

"I wouldn't be able to play pool right now if my life depended on it," Kate said.

"Don't worry about her," Sawyer said. "She says either she stays up all day and all night, or goes to bed at like ten and wakes up at like… ten."

Kate laughed. "I say it's either sleep, or sleep."

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Shoot'EmUpGirl has signed on.

ConfidenceMan: What happened to playing pool?

Shoot'EmUpGirl: What happened to sleeping?

ConfidenceMan: I wasn't tired.

Shoot'EmUpGirl: What? Well u could've played pool with me! I had to play with Michael who's like, good.

Maelstrom: Who r u?

ConfidenceMan: Who r u?

Shoot'EmUpGirl: It's Miles, Sawyer.

Maelstrom: Is Ben there?

Shoot'EmUpGirl: Y? Y do u need 3 million dollars from Ben?

Maelstrom: It's 3.2 million, and a few years back, he manipulated me and my friends out of that much. I want it back. Why am I telling u this?

ConfidenceMan: How does someone con u out of that much money?

HenryGale has signed on.

Maelstrom: Who r u?

HenryGale: I'm Henry Gale.

Maelstrom: Do u know Ben? Where is he?

HenryGale: Sorry. IDK.

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Sawyer signed off. Where does this Henry Gale come in now? He realized it was really late already and he felt tired. He decided to get some sleep. Sawyer wondered if Ana had logged off like him, or is still there questioning them now.

The next morning, they were all gathered around a breakfast table, discussing what they were going to do that day.

"How was pool?" Kate asked Ana, smirking.

"Terrible," Ana sighed. "I lost. Bad."

Kate laughed, and suddenly realized that they had not heard the rest of the conversation. Sawyer filled them in and told them that they were going to a movie at 3:00 PM.

"How long is it?" Charlie asked curiously.

"2 hours," Ana replied. "And 12 minutes."

"Okay," Charlie breathed. "Good. I have a concert tonight and I can't be late."

"Oh, yeah," Claire remembered. "Carson, Peter, Monica, and Janette want your autograph. I just remembered now."

"My hand hurts so much from signing autographs," Charlie said. "That I doubt I can even play tonight. But I can't disappoint the fans."

"Yeah, we've heard," Ana said. "About 100 times, as a matter of fact."

"Well where are they?" Charlie asked Claire.

"I think they're out ice racing," Claire told him.

"They're what?" Charlie questioned.

"Don't ask," Kate sighed. "They're out behind the building. I saw them when I woke up."

Charlie got up and made his way outside and behind the building. There they were, sliding around on the ice as fast as they could. Carson saw Charlie and yelled, "CHARLIE!" He slid towards him. "I can't b- OOF!" Carson fell prostrate in the middle of his sentence. Charlie helped him up.

"Claire says I have some more autographs to sign," Charlie said.

"Yeah you do!" Monica said, sliding over with a Sharpie and a picture of the band. He scribbled his name down. He did the same for Peter, Janette, and Carson.

"How come you didn't tell us?" Peter asked.

Charlie shrugged. "I wanted it to be a surprise, I guess."

"We can keep a secret," Janette said.

Charlie shrugged again. "I'll trust you next time. Hey- you guys have Guitar Hero here?"

"Yeah we do!" Peter said, and they slid over to the dorm.

"Monica's the best at it," Carson explained. "She's a really good battler. You guys should play each other. That would be something to watch."

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"Where is he?" Claire asked, speaking to no one in particular.

"He's probably just running late, Claire," Kate said. "Happens to everyone."

"Well the movie won't wait for him," Sawyer said.

At that time Claire's phone rang. "That's him," she said. "Hello? Where are you?... So your band means more to you than us?...Bye."

They looked at her, waiting for an explanation. "He says that since he has a concert tonight, his brother called an 'unexpected practice.'"

"That's all?" Kate asked doubtfully. Claire nodded.

"Let's just go," Claire said gloomily, leading them into the theater.

Shannon and Kate exchanged worried glances. This wasn't going to end up well.

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"It's been two days, Miles," Charlotte said. "It has to take a while for someone to get 3.2 million dollars."

"He could've at least said something by now," Miles said. "If he doesn't get me the money-."

"Miles," Dan said carefully. "Don't you think you're becoming a bit obsessive with this?"

"Dan," Miles said. "Don't you think you should be quiet?" Dan got the hint.

"Two days is nothing," Frank said. "You gave him a week. 5 more days, then you can go talk to him."

"Five more days," Miles reiterated. "It's finally time."

"It'll be worth it, Miles," Naomi assured him. "It'll for sure be worth the wait."

Miles stared out the window. Ben will hand it over. His thoughts were interrupted by a deafening blast from behind him. He turned around.

"I can see I have some explaining to do," Dan said, holding a smoking object. "And I will start with saying this isn't what it looks like."

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Charlie sat in a folding chair, worried about Claire's reaction. When she said "so your band is more important than us?" he felt so guilty. He thought she would understand. And he was blowing the movie off for this?

"Liam!" He yelled impatiently. "I've been waiting here for 20 minutes!"

Liam finally arrived. "It's about time," Charlie said. "Do you know how mad Claire is at me because I came here? I wasn't about to sit here for the entire time!"

"Baby brother," Liam said. "Do you know how many girls you could have right now? Forget about her."

"No!" Charlie said. "How could you say that? I've been waiting here and you say that about my friend? I can't believe you would say that!"

"Charlie," Liam said comfortingly. "You're at the top. Who needs her?"

"I do!" Charlie shouted. He threw his bass on the ground and left, leaving Liam confused on the spot.

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**I love that ending! Chairey!**

**Next chapter- Charlie apologizes. What does Claire think this time?**


	24. Brain Freeze

**Nothing ever goes right in high school relationships hahaha!**

**Mione: You just killed me inside. And then I came back to life, and I died again. I LOVE MILES!!!!! HE CAN'T DIE!!! IT WOULD BE LIKE CHARLIE ALL OVER AGAIN!**

Charlie arrived at the movie theater way too late. But it was still going to be another hour and a half until the movie was over. But it was worth it. He had to apologize. He had to talk to her.

After what seemed like forever, the movie was over. Charlie rushed to search the crowd for Claire. He found her talking and laughing with Kate about the movie. "Claire!" He shouted. "I need to talk."

"Sorry, Charlie," Claire said. "I know what you're going to say. I've heard apologies again and again. I can't believe _you_ would do that. It's exactly what Thomas would do. I never would've expected you to." Claire kept on walking with Kate. Charlie stood in the middle of the crowd. How could he have let this happen?

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The next week sped by quickly. "I can't believe the year is half over," Kate said. "I don't want to go back home. I hate my step-father."

"I know what you mean," Shannon said. "I could stand it before when my dad was around but an entire summer with Boone and Sabrina? I think I'd rather eat a bucket of frogs."

"Is Boone really that bad?" Ana asked. "He seems like a nice guy to me."

"Oh, yeah," Shannon said sarcastically. "God's friggin' gift to humanity. No, he's terrible when it's both him and Sabrina. She spoils him."

Ana laughed. "What's so funny?" Shannon asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Ana said innocently.

"Hey," Kate said with realization. "Remember what that guy-Miles- said at the New Year's Party? 'You have one week?' It's been one week."

"That's true," Claire said thoughtfully. "I wonder what he's going to do."

"Is anyone else hungry?" Ana asked randomly. Everyone said yes.

"I'll make something," Kate volunteered and got up to go to the kitchen.

Kate was back a while later with a steaming pizza. Shannon groaned. "What?" Kate asked. "Something wrong with my cooking?"

"Nothing's wrong with your cooking," Shannon said. "It's just that pizza is like a truckload of grease. So bad for you."

"C'mon, Shan," Claire said. "You know you want it." She picked up a piece and waved it in front of Shannon.

"Get that away from me!" Shannon said.

"Doesn't it smell good?" Kate said, joining in. "You can't resist, Shannon."

"Stop being immature, guys," Shannon told them. "Really. I'm not going to eat it." She stood up and backed out of the door. She bumped into someone and immediately apologized. She then realized it was Sayid.

"Its fine," Sayid assured her. "What are you doing?"

"Oh," Shannon said, blushing. "Well I was just going up to the school cafeteria for a salad."

"I was going up there too," Sayid said. "May I join you?" Shannon nodded and they both went over to a table and ordered. Claire walked over to them in the middle of their meal.

"There you are," She said and sat down next to Sayid.

"Please, join us," Shannon said sarcastically.

"What a strange group of people to be eating together," someone said. They turned. It was Sawyer, sipping on a chocolate milkshake.

"What do you want, Sawyer?" Shannon said exasperatedly.

"Just saying hi," Sawyer shrugged. He jerked away from his straw suddenly. "Agh- brain freeze."

"What brain?" Sayid asked jokingly.

"Funny," Sawyer said sarcastically. "I see why Sticks here likes you."

Shannon choked on her food. "What?" She gasped.

Sawyer chuckled to himself. "Nothing," he said innocently.

"The only thing I wonder is why Ana Lucia likes you," Sayid said. "That's really what's wrong with the world. She's a smart girl, but I will never figure out why she picked you," He added when he saw how much aggravation he was causing Sawyer. "I will never understand. There are so many other people in this school-,"

He was interrupted when a sudden splash of frostiness hit his face. Sayid found himself covered in Sawyer's chocolate milkshake. He heard Claire and Shannon laughing hysterically next to him.

"Whoops," Sawyer said, smirking. "Sorry, pal."

"That's no problem, buddy," Sayid said, and then grabbed the ketchup and squirted it at Sawyer's face.

"You're going to pay for that one," Sawyer said. "FOOD FIGHT!" Sawyer yelled at the top of his lungs. Every student in the cafeteria tossed food in every general direction. Claire got hit with a piece of sushi and a tomato. Shannon was hit with taco sauce and nachos. They grabbed onto each other and ran out of the hall.

"Nice job, Sawyer," Claire said. "Now I have to wash up. This sushi smells really bad."

"We can go to my room," Sayid offered. "That's the least I can do. I'm sorry for that. I shouldn't have provoked Sawyer."

"No you shouldn't have," Sawyer agreed.

They neared the boys' room only to see a group of girls all wearing identical Drive Shaft t-shirts gathered around the door. "Or we can go to your room," Sawyer said quickly, glancing over to Claire.

"Yeah," Shannon said immediately. "That's a good idea." They turned into the girls' room.

"This sucks," Claire said. "I mean, I can never get this out of my hair!" She said, pulling another tomato seed from her hair. At that time, Kate and Ana walked in.

They froze. "What happened to you guys?" Kate gasped.

"Small disagreement," Sawyer grimaced.

"Let's fix you guys," Ana said. "Shannon, Claire, you get Sayid. Kate, help me with Sawyer."

Sawyer jumped up. "No way," he said. "There is _no way_ I'm trusting you two with my head."

They grinned and laughed. "What do you mean?" They asked innocently.

"Just sit down," Ana demanded impatiently, pushing on his shoulder to force him into a chair.

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"He didn't give it to us," Miles said angrily. "Probably skipped town like last time-,"

"Miles, he's still in town," Dan said. "We can go find him now. You're right. It's been a week. We have to find him."

"Don't worry Miles," Naomi reassured him. "You will get what you deserve."

"We, Naomi," Miles replied. "We will all get what we deserve."

"He took the money from your family," Charlotte said. "It's yours."

"No," Miles shook his head. "You were all with me the whole time. 3.2 million is too much for one person."

"Too much money?" Frank said doubtfully. "No such thing!"

"Here's the plan," Miles said, ignoring Frank. "Remember that one school? Not the one with Ben, the other one? We are going to become new students there, because Ben won't let us set foot in his school. Then, we can gather information and figure out how we can get the money out of him." Everyone nodded, understanding the plan.

"We better get started then," Miles said conclusively.

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**Weird, pointless chapter right there. Only real piece of info was that Claire is tired of multiple apologies. What is Charlie going to do to get Claire to forgive him? It all starts with Valentine's Day.**


	25. Another Thing We Have In Common

**Wow I'm happy probably because my character just got a chapter ALL to herself in LordXwee's story: Get LOST! Still highly recommend it.**

**More Dan? Do I hear correctly? If you insist… Thanks for the advice, JSYGirl! I will put in some exams!**

**Disclaimer: So far away we wait for the day; For the light source so wasted and gone; We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days; Through the fire and the flames we carry on. Which of course means I don't own Lost.**

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"Today we're introducing five new students," the homeroom teacher announced. "They all know each other which will be easy for them. Here are Daniel Faraday, Miles Straume, Charlotte Lewis, Naomi Dorrit, and Frank LaPidus."

Sawyer, shocked, banged his fist on the desk angrily and stood up. "I object!" He yelled.

"This isn't a courtroom, James," The teacher sighed. "You can't object. Sit down."

When he didn't sit down, Ana tugged on his sleeve so forcefully that he fell into his chair. Ana saw Miles' eyes scan the classroom. _This is about Ben,_ Ana thought, watching his every move. This is when it's helpful that your mom is a police officer. She would have to interrogate them later.

Dan immediately sat down in his seat. He hung on to every word the teacher said, unlike the actions of his friends. Naomi, Charlotte, and Frank were half listening but mostly just sitting there. Miles, on the other hand, was hanging back in his seat and still looking around the classroom. He looked as if he was thinking hard about something.

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"What do you guys think of them coming to here?" Jack asked at dinner.

"They're up to something," Ana and Sawyer said at the same time.

"Definitely," Sayid nodded. "Did you see the way Miles was searching the room? It's like he was looking for something, or someone."

They all looked over to where Miles was. He was talking to his friends. He kept looking up and glancing around but he wouldn't stop his flow of words. His friends were listening to everything he had to say.

"We should figure out what they're doing here," Claire said.

"How?" Shannon asked simply.

"Befriend them," Sayid told her. "Make them think we can trust them."

They looked over at them again. This time it looked as if Naomi and Miles were arguing about something.

"There's something about the way he acts," Kate noted. "Like he can see something we can't. Like he knows something we don't. As if he's just seen a ghost."

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"Hi," Claire said. She was voted to be the one to go over to Miles and his friends. "My friends and I were thinking that maybe, since you're new, you might want to come and sit with us for dinner."

"That sounds great," Miles replied kindly. They all got up and Claire swore she heard Miles say to Naomi, "I told you!"

Claire let them introduce themselves. Something about Dan reminded her of Charlie.They all acted suspiciously friendly. They were all just chatting about different things. In the middle of a conversation Miles blurted out, "Have any of you lost any friends or loved ones?"

They stared at him. For a long time, until Sawyer answered, "Yeah." Shannon and Hurley did the same. Miles only nodded. Naomi glared at him.

"Why do you ask?" Sayid inquired. Miles acted as if he couldn't hear Sayid.

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The following day their homeroom teacher announced to a groan that exams would begin at the end of February. The teacher claimed that the exam results would be used so the teacher could decide what the students need to learn the most. The students were still complaining as they left the classroom.

"Exams?" Ana exclaimed. "Who cares what I need to learn? Me! Nobody else should care! It's my brain, and I say what I need to learn! They shouldn't care!"

Claire, Kate, and Shannon were laughing. "I completely agree with you," Kate said through her laughter.

"I completely agree too!" Sawyer said, even though he had just arrived. "What are we agreeing on- that Sawyer's a mega hottie?"

"No," Ana and Kate said immediately. Kate added, "In your dreams."

"Hurtful," Sawyer said, pretending to be sad.

"Just ignore him, Kate," Ana told her. "He's just hoping he'll get some sympathy."

Kate laughed and Sawyer exclaimed, "What?"

Kate laughed more. "We're agreeing that the teachers can't decide what we need to learn. We said we decide that."

"I couldn't agree more!" Sawyer said, meaning it this time. "Exams… how can we worry about exams when we still have to worry about what those new guys are doing here?"

Ana gasped. "I completely forgot about that! Where are they?"

"Probably at their next class," Kate said. "And we should be too. We only have a minute to get there."

"Whoops," Sawyer said. "Looks like I'll be getting another detention. This is my fourth time late to this class."

"Same here," Ana told him.

"Which is just another thing we have in common," Sawyer said over the tardy bell.

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Dan was searching his room, practically tearing it apart. He ignored the door when it opened. He looked up when he heard Miles' voice though.

"Dan," Miles said. "What are you doing?"

Dan continued searching as he answered. "I was trying to figure something out," Dan began. "And it happens that they said something-let's just say 'untrustworthy'- was somewhere near."

Miles raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

"No," Dan replied simply. "It could be something completely going wrong. But it's best to just be safe, yeah?"

Miles shook his head. "You have got to stop with these experiments. We still need to get that cash out of Ben, you know."

"I know," Dan said impatiently. "Do you think your plan is going to work?"

"I'm not totally sure," Miles said. "But I really hope so. I doubt it'll work on that Sawyer person, but Shannon and Hurley are another story."

"Do you really think they'll believe you?" Dan asked, unsure. "It's not every day someone comes up to you saying that they can talk to dead people. How do you think they're going to react when they you say you can talk to their dead friends or family in return for information on Ben?"

Miles paused. Dan had a good point. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"If this plan doesn't work, then they will never trust you again," Dan warned him.

"It's the best plan we've come up with," Miles said. "And we had to come up with a plan; the sooner, the better."

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Charlie was outside taking a walk. He was still trying to think of something that would get Claire to talk to him again. He spotted Carson sitting at a picnic table with Monica. A brilliant idea came to mind. He ran over to Carson.

"Sorry to interrupt your romantic meal together," Charlie said.

"Hey!" Carson said. "Its not-,"

"Whatever," Charlie interrupted. "Remember that I told you that the next time I had a surprise or a secret, I'd tell you?" Carson and Monica nodded, suddenly interested. "Go get Peter and someone else while you're at it. I'll be waiting here. I can tell you once you get back."

Monica and Carson needed no more persuasion. They ran as fast as they could. They were back in about ten minutes, with Peter and Janette behind them.

"What's up?" Peter asked.

"I have something to tell you guys," Charlie said. "Right now, Claire is not happy with me."

"We know," Monica said impatiently. "You ditched her for your band, so she hates your guts. Skip that whole thing. What is the surprise?"

Charlie glared at her. "Well," he said. "It's a long story. And I'm going to need all four of you to help out. Are you willing to do that?"

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**Kind of pathetic, but that's the best cliffhanger I could come up with. Now I have mixed emotions with this. People say they like Sana, others say they want Skate. I'm taking a vote. Tell me in your reviews if you want this story to end up with Sana or Skate! Wahinoeta (Spelling on that) is convincing me to leave it Sana…**


	26. Scooby Doo'd

**So far its 5-2 Sana is in the lead! So for this chapter, it'll be Sana. But keep voting! It will change every chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Lost is mine in my dreams! Does that count? No? Then I don't own Lost. Forget I said anything.**

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"That's genius!" Peter exclaimed.

"If that doesn't get her to like you I don't know what will," Janette agreed.

"That is so sweet," Monica said dreamily.

"I just hope it works," Charlie said nervously.

"It will work," Carson assured him. "I know Claire, and she will think it's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for her. Which it probably is," He added thoughtfully.

"So you'll help me?" Charlie asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Monica said. "We have a lot of work to do though, if you want to have it done by Valentine's Day."

"Before Valentine's Day," Charlie said. "The day before, actually, would be best."

"If that's how you want it," Carson shrugged. "Come on Peter- we can start getting things together now!"  
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Miles approached Hurley quickly. He wanted this done, and wanted it done without anyone else there.

"Hi," Miles greeted. Hurley just nodded. "So you were one of those who said you had lost a loved one? Who was it?"

"Umm," Hurley began uncomfortably. "It was my grandfather."

Miles closed his eyes and concentrated hard. "Was his name Tito Reyes?"

"Dude!" Hurley yelled. "How did you know that?"

"This may sound a bit crazy," Miles said in a hushed tone. "But I have the ability to communicate with the dead."

"Are you crazy?" Hurley said. "No one can talk to ghosts! It's impossible!"

"Oh no, it's possible, believe me," Miles assured him. "Very few people possess this skill but I am one of them."

Miles could tell Hurley was starting to believe him. Miles reached in his pocket and pulled out a handful of papers. "Read these."

Hurley grabbed them and scanned through them. "'Thank you for helping my grandson's spirit finally leave me alone?' 'Life is so much better knowing that I could tell him I'm sorry? Thank you Miles!' What is this?"

"Letters," Miles told him. "From the people that I helped. They paid me to come to their house and talk to deceased friends or relatives. The first from is from a lady whose grandson was murdered, and I helped his spirit move on. That second one is from a girl whose boyfriend died in a car crash after a fight with her. Do you believe me now?"

Hurley thought about it. Those were both definitely girls' handwriting. Hurley slowly nodded.

"Well then," Miles said, relieved. "I want to make a deal with you. I can talk to your grandfather-Tito Reyes- and in return, you have to tell me everything you know about Benjamin Linus. Deal?"

Hurley thought carefully. He loved his grandpa very much and was devastated when he died two years ago. He'd always wanted to at least say good bye. "Deal."

Miles grinned. "Any questions you'd like to ask him?" Hurley shook his head.

"But can you tell him that I miss him?" Hurley said sadly. "And that he was one of the most important people in my life?"

Miles nodded sympathetically. He closed his eyes. Hurley just watched him. Miles suddenly began talking, and it looked as if he was talking to thin air. Hurley listened. Miles was telling him exactly what Hurley had told him to. He finished talking.

"He says he's very proud of you," Miles told Hurley. "And that he loves you very much."

Remembering his grandfather was very sad for Hurley. It was noticeable to Miles. "Now I know this may not be a good time," Miles began. "But my side of the bargain?"

"Oh," Hurley said. "Ben… I know that he goes to the school down the street, and I think I once heard him mention that he lived in a building that was shaped like a giant letter L."

"When is your next game with that school?" Miles asked hurriedly. This was gold, solid gold.

"Umm," Hurley strived to remember. "I think the soccer team is playing them Sunday of next week. Oh! And he has a sister named Alex."

"A sister?" Miles muttered. "That's all you know?"

Hurley nodded, and then suddenly remembered the New Years Dance. "Uh oh," He muttered to himself. "You totally just Scooby-Doo'd me didn't you?"

"Sort of," Miles shrugged. "I really talked to him though. He seems like a nice guy. Are you going to tell anyone about this?"

"Yeah, probably."

Miles swore under his breath and hurried off. At least he had gotten some useful information. Very useful information. A plan was already forming in Miles' mind.

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"Uh, dudes," Hurley said, walking up to a group of people. "You know that Miles kid? Well… at the New Year's Dance, was it Ben he was questioning?"

They nodded. "Crap," Hurley said.

"Hurley?" Libby questioned. "What happened?" Hurley explained everything that had just happened.

"Hurley!" Kate exclaimed.

"I'm sorry!" Hurley said. "I just- I wanted to talk to him again. You'd have no idea."

"That's okay," Shannon said sympathetically. "I probably would've done the same. I would do anything to talk to my dad again."

"What is he going to do?" Ana asked, to nobody in particular.

"Nothing good, that's for sure," Jack replied. "We have to keep a close watch at the soccer game."

"A close watch?" Ana asked disbelievingly. "We have to watch him like a hawk! We can't let him out of our sight! We should go question him now!"

"What are you going to do, stalk him?" Sawyer asked. "Don't make it totally obvious."

"What, you think I'm stupid?" Ana snapped. "Of course not! I'm not an idiot!"

"Just shut up both of you!" Claire shouted. "Ana's right. We should go talk to him. Hurley, maybe its better that you stay here so that he won't get suspicious." Hurley agreed.

They headed over to Miles' dorm and knocked on the door. Dan opened the door slowly. "Hello."

"Is Miles there?" Ana asked immediately.

"Uh," Dan said. "Miles- Miles isn't here at the moment…"

"When did you last see him?" Shannon asked.

"Th-this morning," Dan told her. "When I woke up I saw him leaving to go somewhere."

"Did he happen to say where he was going?" Sawyer asked.

"No," Dan said quickly. "Listen I can just tell Miles that you were here and he can-,"

"Liar," Sayid interrupted. "He isn't here, but you saw him very recently and you do know where he is. And you are going to tell us."

"I'm not lying!" Dan said nervously.

"Yes you are!" Sayid said. "My father taught me how to tell when people are telling the truth or not, and you are not!"

Dan looked around nervously. "Okay, I know where he is, I just can't say. And I saw him about 20 minutes ago when he told me where he was going."

"Why can't you say?" Sayid interrogated.

"Because," Dan began. "He- I- I'm not exactly supposed to say- and I'm not sure about where he was going exactly, but-,"

"You don't know exactly," Sayid reiterated. "But you can guess can't you?"

"All he told me was that he was going down the street!" Dan said. Jack glanced at Sayid.

"Down the street?" Sayid said.

"Yeah," Dan said slowly. "He said he'd be back really soon. But I really have to go." He shut the door.

"Down the street," Kate repeated. "This can't be good."

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**All about Miles and a bit about Charlie! Miles I love you! Unlike Miss Hermione Jane Granger! Who killed me because she hates Miles!**

**Next chapter… Tell me in your reviews if you want the soccer game and then Charlie's surprise if I have time! Because that's what I'm going to do!**


	27. What I Owe

**You don't laugh when someone puts a grenade in Miles' mouth! Grenades kill people...Like Charlie.**

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"Got it," Dan said. "Alex Linus." Miles hurried over. On Dan's computer screen was a picture of a teenage girl with long, dark hair. She was standing, smiling, next to Ben. On the left side of her picture was a ton of information.

"Perfect," Miles said. "I don't know how you do it, Dan, but it sure pays off."

"It's a complicated, illegal process," Dan told him. Miles stared at him. "Don't worry- they can't catch us. How else was I supposed to learn all this stuff about her? It's worth it though-right?"

"Definitely," Miles nodded.

"It's their school computer system," Dan went on. "I could find out anything- even what they're having for lunch every day this month."

"Dan," Miles interrupted. "You know I don't understand you at all, right?" Dan nodded slowly. "Then you better just shut up so we can get a plan going, okay?"

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It was the day of the soccer game. The group had split up to search for Miles. Ana and Sawyer were hanging casually near the entrance where people were buying food and drinks. "I don't see him," Sawyer said.

"Neither do I," Ana said. "Do you think he could've gotten in without us seeing?"

"Yes," Sawyer said. "He's smart. And he's tricky. He would figure out a way to get in without getting any attention at all. There are so many ways he could."

"And how would you know this?" Ana questioned.

Sawyer just shook his head. After a long time of waiting and no sign of Miles, they heard the game was starting. "We better go."

They ran in quickly with their eyes scanning for Miles. "Just sit here," Sawyer told Ana, pointing to two empty seats. "It's a good view, and it's inconspicuous. No one could tell that we aren't here to watch the game."

They had a perfect view of the entire field. About fifteen minutes into the game, Ana froze. She saw something across the field that caught her eye. "Sawyer," Ana said, not taking her eyes off of the spot. "Look."

"I don't see anything," Sawyer said. Ana pointed at the bleachers where the opposing team sits. "Is it Miles?"

Ana nodded. "Come on. We have to go."

"You have eyes like an eagle," Sawyer said. "And you're cute too. That's pretty impressive."

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Miles and Dan approached Alex quickly. The faster they could get this done, the better. "Hey there," Dan greeted casually.

"Hi," Alex replied slowly, evidently confused. "May I help you?"

"Actually, yes," Miles said. "Are you aware that your brother was involved in some gang troubles a couple of years ago?"

"Oh, yeah," Alex replied. "He said it was nothing to worry about."

"Well it is something to worry about," Dan said. "You see, about three years ago, there was some-,"

"Let's get straight to the point, Dan," Miles interrupted impatiently. He glanced around. "Can we speak somewhere a bit more private?" Alex nodded. They walked away from the cheering crowds.

"He owes us 3.2 million dollars," Miles told Alex. "We were hoping that you could help us get it from him."

Alex's jaw dropped. "_3.2 million?_ Are you serious?" She paused. "But- how can I help you get it from Ben?"

Miles and Dan glanced at each other. Their plan was in action.

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Ana and Sawyer rushed over to the bleachers. Halfway up the stairs, Sawyer noticed that Miles, Dan, and Alex were leaving. "Ana!" She saw that too and they had to make their way back down. By then it was too late.

Ana and Sawyer found Dan and Miles alone. "Hello," they said simultaneously.

"Where is she?" Sawyer asked angrily.

"Where is who?" Dan questioned.

"Don't pretend you don't know where we're talking about!" Ana demanded. "Alexandra Linus!"

"Ah," Dan said. "Yes. Alex. She- well-,"

"We took care of her," Miles told them. "Don't you worry she is fine. We just have to put her to good use."

"Where is she?" Ana commanded. Sawyer thought that she looked cute when she was powerful. And she was scary, convincingly scary.

"Okay," Dan said calmly. "She's safe, but we really need to talk with her alone so if you could just leave it would be great."

"We're not leaving!" Sawyer yelled. "I don't trust you guys at all. I don't know what you could've done to her but I know you're smart and capable of a lot. Now where is she?"

Ana was impressed. She didn't know Sawyer had it in him. He would actually make a pretty good cop.

"If we show you where she is, will you go away and not come back?" Miles asked tiredly. They agreed. Dan led them to a place in the woods while Miles stayed back where they were.

Sawyer spotted Alex sitting against a tree obediently. She looked up. "These two wanted to see you," Dan said. "I don't know- I don't really know for what reason but they were really persistent."

"What?" Alex asked.

"What did they do to you?" Ana whispered soothingly. "Why are you here?"

"They won't let me leave," she told them. "Not until Ben gives them the 3.2 million dollars."

"They're keeping you hostage?" Sawyer said loudly. Alex nodded gloomily.

"Alright," Dan said abruptly. "Time to go." He led them back out.

"You had your time," Miles said. "Go." They did what they were told.

They immediately went to Jack, Kate, and Claire and told them everything. "3.2 million," Jack repeated. "He's really determined."

"What are we going to do?" Claire asked.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do," Kate said. "We're going to watch this play out. If there is anything at all that we can do to stop someone from getting hurt or something, then we can step up. But for now, we watch from afar."

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The game was over. Charlotte approached Ben instantly. "May I speak with you for a second please?" She asked considerately.

"What is this about?" Ben questioned.

"My friend," Charlotte said. "He wants money, and he wants it now. And he's willing to do anything to get it. He's taken matters into his own hands."

"Miles," Ben muttered. "What has he done?"

"He has your sister," Charlotte said peacefully.

"Alex?" Ben said, distraught. "What did he do to her? Is she hurt? Is she okay?"

"She is perfectly fine," Charlotte calmed him. "He wants his 3.2 million, in cash, but until then, Alex is in a secure environment."

Ben was astounded. "He'll get his 3.2 million, if I see that Alex is okay. In fact, only if I get a private conversation with her."

Charlotte brought him over to Miles. They nodded courteously at each other. Charlotte told him what Ben wanted in exchange for the money. Miles agreed.

Ben emerged from the woods a few minutes later. "I'm ready. Let me just go get some money, and it's all yours. That's what I owe you, after all."

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"That was calm, cool, and collected," Kate commented.

"Ben has something planned in his mind already," Sayid said.

"Miles will not let his hands off of it," Shannon said. "He's counting it. Again. This is the 15th time."

"He's not letting Ben cheat him out of it," Jack told her. "What are they going to do now?"

"Leave?" Kate suggested hopefully. "There's something about them that's not normal. Miles can talk to ghosts, and Dan is a psychopath or something."

"This is way too suspicious," Sayid said. He began walking towards them.

Miles looked up. "What?"

"You finally got what you wanted," Sayid observed coolly.

"You mean what I _deserved,"_ Miles corrected. "This is all rightfully mine."

"No," Sayid countered. "I mean what you wanted."

"Dan, will you please count this? You're the math whiz, you could count all this in a split second!" Miles asked, ignoring Sayid.

Dan sighed. "Miles, you must've counted it 100 times already. Why do I need to?" Dan began counting anyway.

"What are you going to do now that you have Ben's money?" Sayid asked.

"3.2 million," Dan said quickly. "It's all there, Miles, I'm sure."

"How could you have counted that fast?" Sawyer asked, stunned.

"My money, you mean," Miles said, ignoring Sawyer. "And I think I'm going to drop out of your school and live my life with this load of money."

"That's not a lot," Hurley said casually. They stared at him. "I mean- not a lot compared to- well, you know- Ah, let's face it. I knew I would have to tell you sometime. Last year, I won the lottery. 114 million dollars."

"114 million?" Ana said disbelievingly.

"Actually I have 156 million, thanks to stocks and stuff," Hurley said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Jack asked.

"Because I didn't want you to think I'm crazy," Hurley said awkwardly.

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**Whoa that's a long one… Next chapter, I promise, Charlie's surprise! I PROMISE!**


	28. Juliet Burke

**I broke my promise. Sorry.**

**Okay, really, Skaters. Sana is OWNING you. Aren't you going to do anything about that?**

**SPOILER WARNING: (make sure you've seen "The Constant") I love Dan and all, but if you saw that new episode, then he is so creepy with long hair! And I thought Dez was going to die!**

**Disclaimer: I own this fanfic which is about LOST. Does that count at all? Fine… forget I said anything. I don't own Lost.**

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"Why on earth would we think you're crazy?" Kate asked Hurley.

"Nothing… never mind…" He mumbled.

"Not like this isn't interesting or anything," Miles intervened. "But I really think that we have to get going. Charlotte, where's Naomi and Frank? Get them. We'll be at Dan's house."

Charlotte hurried off to find Naomi and Frank. Miles and Dan started walking across the street.

"In some odd way, I'm going to miss them," Jack said. They headed towards the school. Desmond joined up with them.

"I know what you mean," Kate agreed.

"I don't," Ana said. "I did not like those people. I didn't trust them. I never trust anyone."

"It's not the last you're going to see of them," Desmond commented. They stared at him.

"How would you know something like that?" Claire asked.

Desmond looked around. "I- I have a feeling," he said unsurely.

"Whatever," Sawyer said. "Let's just forget about them and their problems and think about us and our problems."

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Juliet woke up outside. She stared around. How did she get there?

She stood up. Her attention turned to her school. The windows were dark, and there was stuff scattered everywhere. She tried to move, but she then realized that her hand was tied to the ground by a thick piece of rope.

Juliet spotted a bottle on the ground. With her good hand, she reached out and grabbed it. She hurled it at the ground. Glass pieces flew everywhere. She snatched the sharpest piece and began cutting her way free.

Once she was out, she walked into the school. The halls were all deserted. She went to her dorm. There was a note on the door.

Juliet skimmed through it, shocked. How could they just have left her? Distressed, she ran. She ran to the only place she could think of.

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"What do you mean they left?" Miles asked.

"They deserted the school, Miles," Frank told him. "Only one person left. But they went somewhere, I don't know."

"Why did Ben want to talk to Alex alone?" Miles asked himself.

"Just stop worrying about Ben!" Charlotte said. "You've got your cash, forget you ever met him."

"I can't help it," Miles said. "Dan! Find out where they are!"

"What?" Dan asked. "I can't just find out where they went! They left no trace, no sign. It's impossible."

"So is going back in time, but I think you can figure that out!" Miles pointed out. Dan was silenced.

"What are you going to do even if you found out where they are?" Naomi asked. "You can't just keep following them forever, Miles!"

"I wouldn't follow them," Miles said quietly. "I would stay as far away from them as possible. I don't know what they're up to, but it's nothing good."

"Seriously, Miles," Frank said. "They couldn't have left just because of some plan. They had to have some reason behind it."

"Forget about it," Charlotte said. "Just forget about it."

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Jack was studying in his dorm when there was a knock on the door. "If it's a fan, Charlie's not here!" he shouted, even though Charlie was sitting on the bed across from him.

"It's Juliet," the person called. "Juliet Burke."

Jack and Charlie glanced at each other and Jack opened the door. It was Juliet.

"What's up?" Jack asked, concerned. "Why are you here?"

"There's nowhere else to be!" She said miserably. "Everyone- Everyone left. They left me alone. I don't know where they went."

Jack stared at the depressed girl in front of him. "You always have a home here. You can stay here, in Kate's dorm. They have an extra bed."

"Jack that's very kind of you," Juliet said warmly. "But I really just came here to figure out where to go next."

"Go to the principal," Jack said. "Register yourself as a new student. I can't just let you leave, not all by yourself."

Juliet smiled. "If you really insist, Jack."

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Claire, Shannon, and Kate walked into their dorm after dinner that night. They were shocked to find Juliet sitting on their extra bed.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked.

"Someone call the cops," Shannon said.

"I live here now," Juliet said sadly. "Not my choice." She explained her story.

"Jack let you stay here?" Kate inquired. "Why would he do that?"

"Maybe he's just nicer than you guys," Juliet shrugged. "I registered as a new student and this is my new dorm. So deal with it."

At that time, Ana walked in. "What the-?"

"She lives here now," Shannon told her.

"Why?" Ana asked sharply. There was something about the way she was taking this that Ana didn't trust.

"They abandoned her at her old school," Claire said. "So Jack said she could live here."

Ana glared at Juliet. "I don't trust you."

"I didn't expect you to," Juliet said. "I really don't expect anyone to. But I like it here. I miss Alex though. But I bet Ben just _had_ to take her with."

Ana was silent. Juliet said that differently from how she should've said that. "Are you sure you don't know where they are?"

"Yes I'm sure!" Juliet said angrily. "They just leave me there and I come over here, and this is what I get?"

"Why did you come over here?" Ana questioned.

"Where else was I supposed to go?" Juliet asked. "My home is 4 hours away by car; it's not as if I could just walk there!"

"But you had a phone didn't you?" Ana asked. "You could've called and told them to pick you up."

"Well-I had- I couldn't-," Juliet stuttered. "I couldn't exactly _tell_ them what happened! I'll call them later tonight to tell them just that I transferred schools. No need to launch into a detailed anecdote, right?"

"Right," Ana said coolly. "I'll go with that; for now, at least, until I figure out why you're really here."

Juliet shrugged. "Suit yourself. You won't figure out anything because there's nothing to figure out."

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The days went by quickly for Charlie, and he was getting nervous. It was noticeable.

"Don't worry," Monica said soothingly. "If she doesn't love you after this you must've really done something bad."

Charlie glared at her. "Do you try to be a jerk, or does it just come naturally?"

Monica shrugged. "A bit of both, I guess. But she will fall in love with you the second your plan comes into action. Like that." She snapped her fingers.

"I hope you're right," Charlie said nervously.

"Don't worry, she's right," Carson told him.

"I would like anyone who would do that for me," Monica said dreamily. "And I'm not even that kind of person. Claire is, so she will too."

"Even so, you better get ready," Peter said. "You want to look good don't you? Because if you do, why are you wearing that? Let's go, get up, and come on!"

Charlie sighed. This was going to be a long night.

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"Claire!" Carson shouted. Claire turned around. "Can you take me, Peter, Monica, and Janette to our house?"

"Why?" Claire asked. She didn't really fancy driving four hyper 11-year olds for 45 minutes.

"Because of our package!" Carson told her. "We ordered the entire Rock Band set. I want to sing _The Ballroom Blitz_ as soon as possible."

"Sorry, no," Claire answered.

"What if I give you a carton of Peanut Butter ice cream with chocolate chips and M&Ms?" Carson asked.

"Alright, let's go," Claire said. They cheered. Step 1 of plan Hook-Up-Charlie-And-Claire is done!

Unfortunately for Claire, _Green Grass and High Tides_, a song in Rock Band, began playing, and the group of kids in the car was singing. Another downside to the situation was that the song is 9 minutes long. But on the bright side, most of the end was guitar solo. Really hard guitar solo.

"Do you hear that?" Janette shouted. "Do you hear that? That is the most insane song on Rock Band! You know you want to see how that turns out, Claire."

Claire bit her lip. "Yeah, you're right, I do."

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**Next time, I swear! This one just got too long what with the Juliet coming and all that! But keep reviewing! Yes this is going perfectly! Except that BartRules might explode at any second. No matter how funny that would be, I don't want it to happen. (Laughs at thought of it.)**


	29. Girlfriend

**I want to put the surprise near the end to create tenseness. I'm so evil. Until then, Sana-ness! And some OC pairings- Carnica and Jeter!**

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"I miss the good weather," Ana grumbled angrily.

"I thought you said you liked snow," Sawyer said.

"Correction," Ana told him. "I like to watch snow falling. And it gets tiring after a while. You don't know me at all."

"I know you more than you think," Sawyer said defensively.

"Oh, you think so?" Ana grinned. "Prove it."

"Where should I start?" Sawyer pondered. "I know that your favorite types of food are Asian and Italian-,"

"How did you know that?" Ana asked, shocked.

"Because he's perfect for you!" Shannon piped up.

"Be quiet, Rutherford," Ana said grumpily.

"You just don't want to admit she's right," Sawyer commented, earning a small smile from Ana. "I also know that when you don't want to admit someone is right then you would call them by their last name. Or if you plain don't like them."

Ana bit her lip. "That may be true."

"Ha! I knew it!" Shannon said.

"Why don't you find some other people to bother?" Ana asked, frustrated.

"Good idea," Shannon said. "You two are getting boring anyway." She walked away.

Ana and Sawyer sat in silence for a moment. "Weren't we only pretending to be going out so Kate would like you?" Ana asked.

"Yes," Sawyer replied. "But I changed my mind. Did you change your mind?"

"Maybe…"

"Then it's settled," Sawyer said in a final sort of way.

"I know a lot about you too," Ana said randomly. "I know that this was all part of your plan to get me to like you, it had nothing to do with Kate."

"You're good," Sawyer said, impressed. "In more than one way."

"Shut up, Sawyer."

"It's cute when you're embarrassed," Sawyer teased.

"You say that so many times it's lost it's meaning," Ana said defensively.

"Well maybe because you're always cute! Ever think of that?" Sawyer asked. Ana laughed.

"No, Sawyer," Ana said obediently. "I did not think of that."

"Well you are," Sawyer said, spotting Ace and Matt walking nearby. "And I'm sure Ace and Matt agree. Shall we ask them?"

Sawyer walked over to them, fully aware of Ana's laughter and protest. "Matt! Ace!" Sawyer called. "I have to convince Ana that she's cute all of the time. Don't you agree?"

They nodded vigorously. "See, I told you Ana!" Sawyer called. He turned to Ace and Matt. "Sometimes it's fun to torment her, but you have to know when to stop."

"You are so lucky," Ace said.

"It's not luck, boys, it's all _skill_," Sawyer said. "You still haven't fallen in love with another girl yet?"

"Not really, no," Matt said sadly. "But I don't think Ana would ever choose us over you."

"Yeah," Ace agreed dismally. "You two are, like, match made in heaven, or something."

"That may be true," Sawyer commented. "But I bet you two could each find a date for the Valentine's Day dance tomorrow. So go off and do that." They left.

Sawyer returned to Ana who was still laughing. "Why did you do that?" Ana giggled.

"It made you laugh," Sawyer told her. "Which means a lot to me."

She leaned in to kiss him. "That was sweet," She smiled.

"Will you go to the Valentine's Day dance with me?" Sawyer asked suddenly.

Ana was shocked. "What kind of question is that? Of course I will!"

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Carson, Peter, Monica, and Janette were 'playing' outside. Or so Claire thought. What they were really doing outside was setting things up for Charlie's plan that night.

"This is so exciting!" Monica said, clearly showing her excitement.

"I don't understand you, Monica," Carson said. "I don't understand this girly-er side of you."

"Ew, no," Monica grimaced. "I just love how sweet guys can be."

"I see," Carson said. He secretly hoped that she thought he could be sweet sometimes.

"Somebody please remind me why we're not playing Rock Band right now?" Peter asked.

"Because, Peter," Janette said tiredly. "We're stuck on _Highway Star_, and we need to set up for the plan."

"Right," Peter said. "I remember now." Janette laughed. Peter smiled. He was glad he could make her laugh.

"I wonder what time Charlie will get here," Monica whispered.

"I think he said about 6, when the sun is setting," Janette told her.

"That's so romantic," Monica stated dreamily.

Carson immediately piped up, "It was my idea." Which was true. Peter backed him up.

"I never knew you were such a romantic," Monica teased. Carson blushed, yet was proud that she thought that.

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At five, Charlie gathered his things and headed into his car. Peter had called him earlier to say that everything was ready. Except for Charlie, who was enormously nervous. It's not like he would do this every day.

He arrived at the house earlier than expected. The children rushed outside to greet him, and Claire was still oblivious that he was there.

"Make sure Claire is in her room by the window at six," Charlie told them.

"Don't worry," Peter said. "I have a plan."

Charlie was concerned about what type of plan Peter would come up with, but was somewhat reassured when Carson said, "Don't worry; it's brilliant!"

"I wouldn't say 'brilliant' but it'll get the job done," Monica said.

"Alright, it's six, put the 'brilliant' plan in action!" Charlie ordered. Carson and Janette ran inside while Monica and Peter climbed two different trees that were across from each other. This is where the lights were.

Claire heard someone run into her room. She looked up and saw Janette and Carson standing at the doorway, laughing.

"Look out the window!" Carson gasped. "Peter had a Mountain Dew and is racing Monica up trees!"

Claire sighed and looked out the window as told. But what she saw was not Peter and Monica racing up trees. True, they were in trees, but they were shining fluorescent lights upon Charlie, who was standing on the ground with his guitar in his hands.

At the sight of Claire's face, Charlie began to strum. He was playing a song that Carson picked out, from Guitar Hero II. It was all for Claire. The words fit the situation perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle. He began to sing:

_I want to love somebody_

_I hear you need somebody to love_

_Oh I want to love somebody_

_I hear you're looking for someone to love_

_'Cause you need to_

_Be back in the arms of a good friend_

_And I need to _

_Be back in the arms of a girlfriend_

_I didn't know nobody_

_and then I saw you coming my way_

_Oh I didn't know nobody_

_and then I saw you coming my way_

_Don't you need to be back_

_In the arms of a good friend?_

_Oh 'cause honey believe me_

_I'd sure love to call you my girlfriend_

At this point; Charlie took a short guitar solo. He wanted to see Claire's expression but couldn't find the courage to.

_Don't you need to _

_Be back in the arms of a good friend?_

_Oh 'cause honey believe me_

_I'd sure love to call you my girlfriend_

_'Cause you got a good thing going baby_

_You only need somebody to love_

_Oh you got a good thing going_

_You're only looking for someone to love_

_'Cause you need to _

_Get back in the arms of a good friend_

_And I'm never gonna set you free_

_No I'm never gonna set you free_

As the song ended Charlie heard Monica, Janette, Carson, and Peter erupt into applause. When he thought he heard Claire join in he looked up.

Claire was shocked. Charlie, standing there, singing her a song in the sunset? It was so confusing. But when she heard clapping, she had to join in. It was a spectacular performance.

She ran outside. Charlie looked at her. "Claire," he whispered. "Will you go to the dance with me?"

Claire felt tears form in her eyes. "Yes." She ran over to him and gave him a sweet, caring, kiss.

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**Was it what you expected? Did you read the lyrics? Aren't they perfect? Tell me in your reviews! It's in GH2! Play it, I think it's a good song.**


	30. Mexico

**So you got what you were waiting for. Now what?**

**Disclaimer: I may not own LOST but I do own… oh why even try? I don't own anything as good as LOST!**

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Claire, Charlie, Carson, Peter, Monica, and Janette went inside once it got a bit too cold. Claire was still surprised and couldn't stop smiling. Neither could Charlie. It went so perfectly.

"How did you work this out?" Claire asked.

"We've been planning it for ages," Charlie answered.

"It all fit perfectly," Carson explained. "Charlie came to us with this idea and all we did was help out. Pete and Monica did lights in the trees and Janette and I just got you to look out the window."

"It was wonderful," Claire breathed. "This was the real reason you convinced me to come here. It had nothing to do with Rock Band, did it?"

"Well, we could've had it ordered to the school," Peter admitted. "But it was a perfect excuse to get you to come here."

"Yes, it was," Claire agreed. "It's too late to go back to the school now. You all want to stay overnight?" The little kids cheered. Carson and Peter were saying that they needed to beat Highway Star anyway.

"Yeah, what are you all doing with that anyway?" Charlie asked curiously.

"I play guitar," Carson told him. "Janette is bass, Pete's drums, and Monica's singer. It's a perfect band and we're all on Expert."

"Bet you I could beat you in drums, Charlie," Peter bragged.

"Yeah, I bet you could," Charlie agreed. "But I don't know about singing."

"You haven't seen Monica sing yet," Carson said defensively. Monica beamed, glad he stood up for her. "She's has real natural talent. Her best songs are _Dani California, Flirtin' With Disaster, _and _I Think I'm Paranoid."_

"All great songs," Charlie said. "Except maybe that last one. It's okay."

"You want to play?" Janette asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I do!" Charlie said. "Claire?"

"Of course I do!" She agreed. "I want to see how you play with those rectangles. I like circles more."

They spent the night playing Rock Band. The next morning they headed out to the school, all six of them.

"Claire," Charlie said carefully. "For the first half of the dance I'm going to have to play with my band. But the second half I'm free."

"That's fine," Claire told him.

"Okay, good," Charlie said. "They've got a substitute bass player for when I leave."

They said bye to each other and went to their dorms. Claire walked in to find Kate, Shannon, Ana, and Juliet all in the dorm.

"Hey," Juliet greeted. "What's new?" Claire hurriedly told them all that happened the previous night.

"You're joking," Shannon said. "That's the sweetest thing ever!"

"You're so lucky, Claire," Ana told her. "Sawyer would never even think of doing something like that."

"Wow," was all Kate could say.

"That's nice," Juliet said vaguely.

"Are you going tonight?" Claire asked curiously. Juliet shook her head.

"No," Juliet said. "The few times I've been out in the hall I've had stuff thrown at me, kicked at me, and dropped on me. It'd be kamikaze trying to go into a dance."

"Good," Ana snapped. "We don't want you there."

Juliet looked at her. "You really have attitude issues, don't you?"

"No," Ana said. "I just don't like you. You're up to something."

"I'm not up to something!" Juliet said exasperatedly. "What would I be doing here besides studying and learning?"

"I don't know," Ana shrugged. "But Miles came here to get to Ben, didn't he? There are plenty of reasons why you could be here. How should I know?"

"Whatever, Ana-Lucia," Juliet muttered.

"I'm sorry, but I'm tired of this," Ana said. She pushed herself off the chair and left.

"So anyway," Kate said nervously. "Want to go eat lunch at the cafeteria?" Kate, Claire, and Shannon headed off; while Juliet insisted that she stayed behind.

They joined some of their other friends. "Did you say that your brother helped Charlie with that?" Kate asked Claire after a while. She nodded.

"He must be the best brother ever," Shannon said.

"Excuse me?" Boone interrupted.

Shannon laughed. "Yeah, except for Boone," She said sarcastically.

"No one needs your negativity, Shan," Boone retaliated. They all laughed.

"Yeah, my brother and his friends," Claire told them.

"That is so awesome," Shannon said wistfully. "My brother and his friends wouldn't do anything like that for me."

"Nope," Boone said with a mouthful of food. "Not a chance."

"And you think you have a chance for the best brother ever?" Shannon said, ignoring the laughter of Claire and Kate behind her. "No _way_."

"Anyway," Claire said, overcoming her laughter. "Aren't you two going with anyone?"

"To the dance?" Kate asked. "No. Jack and I decided that we weren't right for each other. I'm single."

"And I am too," Shannon said sadly.

"What about Sayid?" Kate inquired. "Doesn't he like you?"

Shannon shrugged. "Possibly, probably, you name it. He just hasn't asked me."

"Hey guys, guess what," Boone interrupted again. "You know how we have exams soon?" They groaned. They had forgotten. "Well they're giving us Spring Break early this year. It's going to be the week after exams."

"Oh, thank God," Claire sighed. "I thought you were going to say they were giving us like extra or something."

"I love Spring Break!" Shannon said dreamily. "It's almost as good as Summer Break. Hey, we should all go somewhere. Somewhere warm."

"Like Arizona?" Kate said. They stared at her. "Arizona's warm!"

"No, Kate," Shannon corrected. "I mean somewhere warm like the beach. Some place where the weather isn't terrible, like here."

"That's a better idea!" Kate realized. "Yes. Let's do that."

"Right," Claire giggled. "Like where? Hawaii?"

"I wish," Shannon said. "I'd love to go to Hawaii."

"Or," Kate said. "Or we could go to Mexico."

"I don't think so," Claire said. "No one knows how to speak Spanish. We might end up saying that we hate that country and they'll kill us."

"Hurley can speak Spanish," Boone told them. "And so can Ana. Didn't you know that?"

"No!" Kate gasped. "Then why is Ana taking Spanish?"

Boone shrugged. "I don't know. Why don't you ask her now? She's right there." Boone pointed to the front of the lunch line where Ana and Hurley were.

They waited for them to come over. "Hey," Kate greeted. "We were wondering why you were taking Spanish if you can already speak Spanish."

Ana laughed. "Oh right, that. Well, I thought that since I already knew the language, it would be an easy A and I could relax throughout the entire class. Just basically a waste of an hour. But the Spanish teacher doesn't know that."

"That's a good idea!" Hurley said. "I'm doing that next year."

"I'm actually thinking I want to learn a language other than Spanish," Ana said thoughtfully. "Like French, or German, or something. I don't know. Why do you ask anyway?"

"Because we were thinking that we should go to Mexico for Spring Break," Shannon told her. "A week is the perfect amount of time to lounge on the beach."

"But what if we want to see some historical stuff?" Boone asked. "Like ancient Mayan ruins? I've always wanted to see Chichen Itza."

"Well, no one wants to but you," Shannon snapped. "So deal with it."

"I do!" Kate defended him. "You could learn a lot. And if we go on a certain day, the sun reflects on the steps and shows a serpent."

"That is so cool!" Boone said. "What day?"

"I don't know," Kate said thoughtfully. "I think it might be March 15th. Or maybe September 15th. Something like that."

"Well if it's March then we might be able to see it!" Boone said. "Too bad they don't let people climb it anymore."

"Would you please stop talking?" Shannon asked impatiently.

"Shannon, we can't all do what you want to do," Boone argued back. "Maybe we don't like the beach for a week. Maybe we want to learn something."

Before Shannon could snap back, Ana said, "You know what else would be fun? Snorkeling. I think it would be great to see the fish and coral and stuff."

"Ugh, no," Claire shuddered. "Fish creep me out. I can never tell which are poisonous and what not. Don't sharks live in reefs anyway?"

"Uh, yeah," Ana said. "But where else are they supposed to live, you know? It's not like they'll be like huge Great Whites. Just toughen up, Claire."

"I went snorkeling once," Hurley said randomly. "When I was really young. And there was a reef really far out and my dad took my brother over there. He told me he stepped on an eel."

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**Ha! And again, ha! That eel story is true. My brother stepped on an eel. Also, the Chichen Itza serpent thing is true. And once my dad says he got in too much trouble as a kid and had to take a summer class so he took Spanish because he already knew the language.**


	31. The Next Ozzy Osbourne

**Yeah, um, about that trip to Mexico…**

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"Did you find it yet?" Shannon asked impatiently.

"No, Shannon," Boone replied with the same lack of tolerance that his step-sister had.

"How long does it take to find tickets to Cancun?" Shannon questioned.

"A long time," Boone told her. "Do you know how many people would want to go to Mexico for Spring Break? It's really not the easiest thing in the world."

Everyone was gathered in dorm 108A.

"Does that mean we can't go?" Ana said sadly.

"I don't think so," Boone said. "I can't find any open flights. Okay guys, backup plan. Where do we go now?"

"Someplace nice," Claire was brainstorming. "Warm and sunny with a beach, but not some place overly popular like Florida."

"Arizona!" Kate shouted again.

"Kate, Arizona doesn't have a beach," Jack said. "Well, it probably does, but not an ocean."

"How about Rhode Island?" Hurley shrugged. "Or Oregon. They're on the ocean."

"Yeah, Rhode Island," Claire said excitedly. "My friend went there once and she went crab fishing. She said it was really fun. I think we should go there."

"Hey, have you guys heard from Dan or Miles lately?" Juliet asked abruptly. They stared at her.

"Why do you ask?" Ana demanded. "Is that why you're here? Trying to get information about Miles and his friends?"

"She's here because this is her home now," Jack countered back.

"You actually trust her?" Ana asked with her voice teaming with disbelief. "You actually believe that she's here to learn?"

"Yeah, I do," Jack said. "And you're going to leave her alone, or you really won't be happy about it." Ana stood still, shocked. Did Jack just _threaten _her?

"Yeah, so I really have to go," Boone said tentatively. "You coming?" He asked the other guys, who nodded and followed him out.

"I'm leaving too," Ana said irritably, and stormed out of the room.

"Maybe we should just get ready for the dance," Shannon suggested, as the dance would begin in approximately two hours.

The girls dug through their closets to find something nice and pink, except for Juliet, who wasn't going, and Kate, who just hung back in disgust.

"You've got to wear pink, Kate," Shannon told her. "It's Valentine's Day."

"Easy for you to say," Kate snorted. "No. I won't, I'll never do it." Instead, she got up and picked out a nice red outfit that Claire and Shannon said would 'work.'

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Everyone arrived at the dance in time to hear Drive Shaft- not including Liam- playing _Sharp Dressed Man_ by ZZ Top. Because Liam wasn't there, Charlie had taken the place of lead singer.

"He's good," Kate commented.

They spotted Liam across the cafeteria. He was with a girl, Karen, was her name. "That makes sense," Shannon said. "Charlie is taking half the time off for Claire, so it's only fair that Liam takes some time for Karen."

Kate stared around the hall. It was filled mostly with people wearing pink, some red. One person stood out because she was just wearing black and white. That was Ana. She spotted Kate too, and came over to her.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kate said.

"I know what you mean," Ana said, actually having a sick look on her face while staring around at the pinkness.

"Sun looks nice in pink," Claire blurted out randomly. Sun was wearing a fluorescent pink dress, but not too bright.

"Everything goes good with her black hair, Claire," Shannon said. "But I know what you mean. It makes her more vibrant. Pink just has this appealing radiance to it when it is complimented by black."

"Can we stop talking about pink?" Kate asked impatiently. "Ana looks like she's going to have a seizure from the talk of it." Ana laughed. Kate swore she heard Ana mutter, "I wish." Kate glanced at Ana who glanced at her back, and they burst into laughter. At the you're-crazy-look that Claire and Shannon gave them, they laughed harder.

"Right," Shannon said slowly. "Ana, don't you have somewhere to be?"

"No," Ana replied through her laughter, and the way she said it made Kate laugh even more.

"What about Sawyer?" Claire asked.

"Oh," Ana gasped. "Right. Him. I don't know… You see, I really have no idea where he is."

"That makes sense," Kate said. "What should we do?" She added in to a shrug from the rest of her friends.

Something caught the attention of Claire. She saw her brother and Monica walk in from outside wearing t-shirts and shorts, shivering insanely.

"What are you two doing?" She asked.

"It's cold out there!" Carson said ignorantly.

"I bet that I could last longer in shorts and a t-shirt out there than he could," Monica explained. "I was so wrong. But only because he threw a snowball at me!"

Carson shrugged. "It's what you have to do to win in this world."

"Well I bet I could eat a plate of cookies faster than you could," Monica countered, and they ran off to do that.

"Get changed into something warmer!" Claire shouted after them.

"I love this song," Ana said randomly. The song was Are_ You Gonna Be My Girl_ by Jet.

"It's on Rock Band," Claire said even more randomly. "I like it too. I can sing it on Medium."

"That's interesting," Shannon said. "Ana, there's Sawyer."

"Oh, yay," She groaned sarcastically. "I mean- Oh! Yay!" She said with a cheerier tone this time.

"Hi," Sawyer greeted. "By the way, Claire, Charlie said he's dedicating all the songs tonight to you."

Claire blushed and everyone there said, "Awww," in unison.

"Hey, look on the bright side, Claire," Kate shrugged. "Not many people would dedicate _Buddy Holly_ by Weezer to their girlfriend," Kate said to a laugh.

"Thanks, Kate," Claire said sarcastically. "I feel much better now."

The rest of the songs they heard from Charlie were _Foreplay/Long Time_ by Boston, _I Ran _by Flock of Seagulls, _I Want You To Want Me_ by Cheap Trick, _My Sharona_ by The Knack,_ Nativity In Black _by Ozzy Osbourne, _Next to You _by The Police, _Rock This Town _by The Stray Cats, _Should I Stay Or Should I Go_ by The Clash, _Slow Ride_ by Foghat, _Sunshine of Your Love_ by Cream, _Sweet Child o' Mine_ by Guns n Roses, _What I Like About You _by The Romantics, and_ You Really Got Me _by The Kinks, or Van Halen. After that last one, Charlie came down to Claire.

"You were really good," Kate told him. Everyone else agreed.

"Thanks," Charlie said awkwardly.

"Yeah, Charlie," Sawyer said. "Never knew you were so much like Ozzy Osbourne."

"Thanks," Charlie said sarcastically. "I'll be the next Ozzy, yeah?"

"Definitely," Sawyer said.

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That night, Juliet sat in her room on the computer. She checked the time frequently. The dance wouldn't end for another twenty minutes, but she decided to go anyway.

She closed her laptop slowly after signing out of her IM screen name. There was no reason to make Ana Lucia more suspicious.

But that would definitely happen if Ana had caught her instant-messaging Ben.

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**Yeah, so, next chapter. I really don't know, but someone suggested a Kate/Boone pairing. I was wondering if you actually wanted this, people, tell me in your reviews!**

**Also, sorry about the whole Mexico thing. I know you wanted to see that happen, but if I were to do a summer break fic, then they would definitely go to Mexico then! Good idea? Tell me in your reviews!**


	32. A Banana Flew Over Their Heads

**So Summer Break Fic is a good idea? But how about… next year? You seem to like it, so maybe?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOST and I don't own Guitar Hero! Why is life worth living?**

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Shannon, Kate, Claire, and Ana walked in right after Juliet had closed her laptop. Ana caught this action out of the corner of her eye. "What were you doing?" Ana asked suspiciously.

"Studying," Juliet responded in a way that convinced Ana she was telling the truth. Juliet could tell Ana believed her and silently celebrated. She could keep that a secret for a while.

"Well I'm going to go back to my dorm," Ana yawned and left. Shannon, Kate, and Claire sat on their beds to study for the exams that were suddenly around the corner. Juliet flipped her computer back open and logged back on. She faced the screen towards her so nobody could see it.

Jewels: U still there?

HenryGale: Yeah, I'm here.

Jewels: That's good. Oh, and I asked them if they had contacted Miles and Dan. They said they hadn't.

HenryGale: You should convince them too. Try to; and see what they say.

Jewels: What if they know who I am?

HenryGale: Lie. You're a creative girl, Juliet; you can come up with something.

Jewels: Okay… I'll do my best.

"Juliet, what are you typing?" Kate asked curiously.

"I'm-uh," Juliet stammered. "I found this practice test thing for Science, and I'm just trying it. You know, to practice for exams." Kate nodded slowly, as if not believing her completely.

Jewels: I better go. They're getting suspicious.

HenryGale: Alright. Bye.

Juliet closed her computer again. "You done?" Kate asked immediately.

"Yeah," Juliet said quietly. She was thinking of ways to get in contact with Miles without raising suspicion. She realized she needed help from the only person who really trusted her: Jack.

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Juliet dodged around the people throwing things at her, which was not the easiest thing. She dreaded the halls because teachers had no control of the overcrowded corridors. The classroom was her only safe spot where teachers could defend her. But Jack was always there for her and for that she was grateful.

Jack caught up with her. "Hey," He greeted. "They really shouldn't be treating you that way."

"Jack its fine," Juliet said and couldn't help but smile. "But they're going to start aiming at you now, you know."

"They wouldn't do that," Jack said in a reassuring way.

"Uh, Jack," Juliet laughed.

"I know," he said quietly, and they both ducked simultaneously as a banana flew over their heads. "Let's go, Juliet, I'll walk you to your next class."

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Juliet thought of a good way to ask Jack about Miles or Dan. "So, Jack," Juliet began. "What do you think Miles is doing with all that money?"

Surprised, Jack replied, "I don't know. I don't even know where he went. I think that one day where they left Miles said something about going to Dan's house."

"Did they?" Juliet said curiously. "That's interesting…"

"Why do you ask?" Jack asked, but with no suspicion or accusing tone in his voice.

"Ben was asking before he-," Juliet paused. "Before _they_ left."

"Okay," was all Jack said. Juliet smiled; anyone else would've questioned her and definitely not trust her.

"I think we should go visit them," Juliet said casually.

"Why?" Jack inquired.

"I thought they were pretty nice," Juliet shrugged. "Good people."

"Okay," Jack said. "Sorry, Juliet, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one."

Juliet shrugged again. "Suit yourself. I, however, thought they were nice people and think that we shouldn't judge them on that one incident."

"I never judge people on just one incident, Juliet," Jack told her. "But I feel that those aren't the best kind of people to be associating with."

"Well, maybe not Miles," Juliet reasoned. "He kind of seemed vicious. He was a jerk. But Dan, Charlotte, Frank, and Naomi seem nice enough."

"You think so?" Jack asked, pondering what she said. This was true, they were pretty friendly.

"I can't help but wonder whatever happened to those people," Juliet said inquisitively.

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Frank stood at a small table that had a fish tank on it. He dropped a bit of food into it. Naomi and Miles were sitting by another table that had a huge map of the world on it. They were studying the map diligently and thoroughly. Dan and Charlotte sat on the floor playing a multiplayer form of solitaire, _Kings on the Corner_, or_ Kings' Corners._ The room was dark except for a small desk lamp on the table Naomi and Miles were working at. The room was completely silent except for the occasional splash of water from the fish tank, and sometimes Naomi and Miles discussing something on the map.

"What was her name again?" Frank said quietly, breaking the silence.

"Penelope," Charlotte told him, without taking her eyes off the cards. "Or Penny."

"It still sounds so familiar," Dan whispered to himself.

"Just try to remember, Dan," Charlotte said comfortingly. "Try your hardest; I'm sure it will come to you."

"He at least could've been more specific," Miles complained.

"Yes he could've," Naomi agreed. "But he was in a hurry, or so he says. Can we really trust this guy?"

"You're the one who convinced us to, if you recall," Miles said.

"Yeah, I know, but I hadn't met the guy, I only met Matthew," Naomi said, mostly to herself rather than Miles.

"That's it!" Dan shouted suddenly. They stared at him. "I remember where I heard the name Penelope before. There was this guy, Desmond, I think; he mentioned his girlfriend named Penelope."

"Desmond?" Frank questioned. "You mean that guy from the school down the road?"

"Oh, you're kidding," Miles groaned. "I'm so tired of those people."

"Sorry, Miles, Frank's right," Dan remembered. "What was this guy's last name?"

"Widmore," Charlotte said, again without taking her eyes off the game.

"Widmore," Dan reiterated. "Penelope Widmore. That was it. She's the one that we're looking for."

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Desmond was nervous. He didn't know why, it was just one of those days. "Hey," He said to a group of his friends. "Do you remember those people- Frank, Charlotte, Naomi, Dan, Miles?"

"Why does everyone bring them up?" Jack inquired. "What about them?" Ana noticed that Juliet had suddenly perked up and was now intently listening to the conversation, and was paying attention to nothing else.

"I think," Desmond began, restraining himself from saying 'I know.' "I think we're going to be seeing them very, very soon."

"Why?" Juliet asked immediately.

"No reason," he said quickly. "Just a- a feeling. But don't be surprised if they show up on campus one day."

"Actually, I would be surprised," Sawyer said. "Why would they come back? They already got their 3 million dollars."

"3.2 million," Kate corrected.

"I don't know," Desmond said quietly. "I really don't know. But maybe they're looking for someone. Someone that lives here."

"Who would they be looking for?" Juliet piped in. No one answered. No one could answer. But Desmond's 'feeling' told him it was someone very close to them, very close indeed.

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**Yay! I can bring Dan and Miles back in! So I need pairings for Boone and Kate. OC's? Type 108 for a Koone pairing. Type 4815 for OC for both of them. I already have some OC's in mind.**


	33. Outside

**Disclaimer: I'm sitting at my computer typing fanfiction. Does it look like I own anything important? No. It doesn't; so I don't won Lost.**

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Juliet knew that Desmond didn't just have a 'feeling' that they were coming; Desmond knew. He knew exactly what he was talking about, so Juliet was keeping an eye out. But for now, she sat at her computer-again- and was instant messaging Ben-again.

Jewels: Hey! Important information!

HenryGale: What?

Jewels: Desmond said that Miles' group was going to turn up here any day. And he was sure, I could tell.

HenryGale: Well you know what to do when they get there?

Jewels: How could I forget? You told me about 100 times.

HenryGale: Well I had to make sure that you remembered.

DriveShaftFan: Who r u guys?

Jewels: Juliet and this is my cousin, Henry.

HenryGale: Nice to meet you.

DriveShaftFan: So I'm really bored. U?

Jewels: Ttly. I should be studying for exams:P

DriveShaftFan: LOL IKR? I should be too.

Jewels: I need help with English. It's hard.

DriveShaftFan: Hey-if you're not in our dorm, where are you?

Jewels: Outside.

DriveShaftFan: Y R U outside? It's like cold.

Jewels: I like it outside. And I better go study, BYE!

Juliet signed off. That was too close. Was Kate on the whole time and watching that entire conversation?

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Kate was confused. Juliet was acting weird on the computer, and who was her mysterious cousin who said 4 words, then went silent? What were they talking about before she got there?

Kate mentally slapped herself. She couldn't become suspicious like Ana was. Jack trusted Juliet, and that was good enough for her.

Ana walked in Kate's dorm at that time. Ana noticed she was troubled. "What's up?" She asked.

"Ana?" Kate said. She then explained the IMing situation.

"HenryGale was his screen name?" Ana questioned. "No one uses their real name as their screen name, that's unsafe. He wasn't really her cousin."

"Then who could it be?" Kate said.

"I can't prove it, but it's probably someone from her old school," Ana considered. "I'm not very good with computers, but if I knew someone who was, we could probably figure out who it is."

"Sayid?" Kate suggested.

"No, not Sayid," Ana said. "He shares a dorm with Jack, and if Jack finds out, he'll hate us."

"Good point," Kate said. "But who else do we know who's really good with technology and computers?"

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"Got it," Dan said quickly.

"Wow, Dan, how do you do that so fast?" Charlotte said. She walked over to Dan's computer. "Penelope Widmore…"

"Dan's always been fast with computers," Naomi said. "He's talented with science and stuff like that." Dan smiled; it's not often you receive a compliment from Naomi.

"So that's her?" Miles questioned. "That's Charles' daughter?"

"Yep," Dan said. "I still don't get what we're doing…"

"Neither do I," Miles shrugged. "But he wants us to check up on his daughter because he doesn't trust her or something like that."

"I still think he's not telling us something," Frank said. "Like this has some secret meaning but we don't know what that is."

"I still think you're paranoid, but we all have to live with that," Miles said impatiently.

"Shouldn't we just go find her already?" Frank said, shooting a glare at Miles.

"I think that he thinks that the school isn't worthy enough for his daughter," Naomi explained. "He seemed like a rich snob, or at least from what Matthew was explaining."

"The Widmore Corporation gets a lot of money, he probably is rich," Charlotte said.

"Yeah, which means he'll be paying us with a lot of money," Naomi said. "For this thing we have to do… but I think Frank's right. This isn't all about his daughter."

"I know," Miles agreed. "So we should get going, yeah?"

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Juliet was sitting outside, but this time she was studying. No matter the real reason she was here, she was going to get good grades and study hard. Occasionally she would look up from her notes and glance around.

_They probably won't even be here today_, Juliet told herself. _Desmond said soon, that doesn't necessarily mean today._ Nevertheless, Juliet remained where she was.

Juliet thought desperately about how she could contact Dan and Miles quicker. If she knew how, she could find out where they lived, and got to them, instead of them coming to her. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know how. She knew someone who does: Sayid. But she couldn't just ask Sayid to do that, he would tell everyone.

Juliet knew that Ben would know how to get it out of him. Ben could manipulate his way out of anything-or into anything- that he wanted to. She signed on her computer, hoping desperately that he was still on.

HenryGale: Back on already?

Jewels: I'm so tired and bored of waiting here for them! Why did I have to be the one to stay behind?

HenryGale: Because, Juliet, they trusted you more than anyone. They would never trust me, or Alex, or Ethan.

Jewels: Well I was trying to figure out a way to talk to them quicker. Like find out where they live and go to them. Ideas?

HenryGale: I'm not the one to ask, I'm not an expert. Ask Mikhail.

Jewels: Will you tell Mikhail to get on then?

HenryGale: Certainly.

Scorpio12: Hello, Juliet. Long time no see.

Jewels: Sorry, Mikhail, I've got no time to chat. Is it possible for you to give me the files of Daniel Faraday, Miles Straume, Charlotte Lewis, Frank Lapidus, and Naomi Dorrit?

Scorpio12: It could take no time at all.

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Juliet printed out each file and read them carefully. To anyone walking by, it would seem as if she was studying school notes.

What she was really looking for was the addresses. She was tired of waiting and was ready to take action. Juliet recalled that they went to Dan's house when she last saw them, so they could be there, or they could all be split up. But the important thing was to remember what Ben told her.

She felt someone walking towards her and hurried to put the files away. She looked up to see both Kate and Ana in front of her.

"Hello," Juliet said, showing confusion. This couldn't be good.

"Hey," Kate said, glancing at Ana. "What are you doing?"

"Just looking through some notes," Juliet replied calmly. _She's good_, Ana thought to herself. "But I'm pretty tired of studying right now. I'm gong to take a break from it. Anyway… what can I help you two with?"

"We were bored, so we decided to walk around to try and find something to do," Kate answered. They were all lying through their teeth, and every single one of them could tell, and they could tell that the other people could tell.

"We wanted to see if you were up to something," Ana said truthfully, however, she said it as if it were a joke. Juliet laughed.

"Nope," Juliet answered. "Not up to anything. Why would I be?"

"It's getting late," Ana noticed. "I'm going to go. You coming?" They both nodded and followed her back to their dorms.

Once in room 108A, Kate said, "What were you really doing, Juliet? I didn't want to ask in front of Ana, she would be too persistent."

Juliet sighed. "I'm here for the same reason everyone else is. Why would people think that I would come-?"

"Because you did," Kate interrupted. "I want you to tell me, Juliet, what are you doing here?"

Before Juliet could say anything else, the door opened and closed. They turned. It was Claire, Shannon, Sayid, Sawyer, Charlie, and Jack. They seemed surprised to see the two girls facing each other both with very serious expressions on their faces, arms folded.

"What am I hearing?" Jack asked.

"Jack, it's nothing, she-," Juliet began, but Kate cut her off again.

"I was accusing her of coming here for reasons other than education," Kate explained boldly.

"Why would you do something like that?" Jack said angrily. "She told you all that-,"

Jack, too, was cut off, but this time by Sayid. "Kate would do something like that because it's true," Sayid said. "Jack, please listen. I can tell when people are lying."

"No," Jack shook his head. "You listen to me. Juliet told you that she was here for school. Can you not respect that? If you have to not trust her, then it's innocent until proven guilty, right?"

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**Yay! Jack is sticking up for Juliet! Jacket!**


	34. Charles Widmore

**Don't forget… Koone or OC's? VOTE NOW!! VOTE MCCAIN!! I mean… forget I said anything.**

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The first day of exams was on a Friday and the students were already tired of them. Sawyer, however, loved them. "I hate my life," Kate moaned. "I so totally failed all the tests today."

"That was great!" Sawyer said cheerfully. They stared at him. "Come on! A class time with no lectures, and half the time is spent reading? And they give out candy! And no homework! This is heaven!"

"I see your point," Ana said. "But I have to disagree. This is the exact opposite of heaven."

"At least it's the weekend," Shannon said optimistically.

"Yeah," Claire said. "A weekend full of _studying."_

"Oh, come on now," Juliet said. "It won't be that bad. How could you study anyway? It's not focused on _one specific subject_, it's all jumbled. There's nothing to study."

Kate and Ana exchange glances because Juliet had been studying a lot- or so she says. "So what _will_ you be doing this weekend then?" Kate asked casually. Jack noticed her way-too-friendly tone, and glared at her. Kate gave him an innocent look and brought her attention back to Juliet's response.

She shrugged. "Just hanging around I guess… it's not like there's much I could do, right?" She said with a smirk. Ana scowled; Juliet was suggesting that she was up to something, and Jack was blind to it. Jack simply smiled. _He's totally smitten by her,_ Ana thought disgustedly.

Juliet said she decided to hang outside again, so it was Kate, Ana, Claire, and Shannon at the dorm.

"Did you _see _him?" Ana yelled furiously.

"Of course!" Kate said with just as much anger. Claire and Shannon stared in shock and confusion.

"What?" Claire finally said.

"Jack!" Kate told them. "He's so in love with Juliet that he can't see that she practically told us she was planning something!"

Claire and Shannon grinned at each other. "Oh, please," Ana rolled her eyes. "For once can this not be about relationships and who likes who?"

"Okay," Kate said, much quieter this time. "But what is she up to?" No one had an answer to this, but they all wanted to know. Desperately.

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Juliet sat shivering out in the cold again. She had to think of a way to get to their houses this weekend unless they came first. What could she tell Jack? Jack would believe whatever she said; but everyone else wouldn't.

She stared down the street. Dan's house was over there. She couldn't see it, but if she got up and moved to the end of the road she could. Unfortunately, she felt frozen to the seat.

Juliet forced herself to get up. She leaned carelessly against a tree and gazed along the street again. There it was; and she could see someone moving inside of it. Someone opened the door of the house and went to the mailbox. That was Dan.

Dan took his mail and began walking toward the house. He paused and turned her way. Juliet could see the confusion on his face as he carried on walking.

Juliet rapidly went back to her original seat. _Great_, Juliet thought grumpily. _Now they know I'm here._

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Dan, puzzled, set his mail down on the table. "What's wrong?" Charlotte asked concernedly.

"Someone," he hesitated. Miles would surely overreact to this. Miles noticed his uncertainty and waited impatiently. "Someone was standing just outside of the- the school. It looked as if they were- like they were looking over here. Directly at this house."

"Who?" Miles said, jumping off Dan's kitchen counter. He stared through the window inconspicuously. "Dan… no one's there."

"She must've left because I saw her!" Dan told them.

"Who was it, Dan?" Naomi asked urgently. Dan strained to remember.

"Daniel," Charlotte said impatiently, drawing out the second syllable like she always did when she was impatient.

"Hold on," Dan said. He pictured her in his mind. "Starts with a J."

"Juliet?" Frank suggested.

"That's the one!" Dan snapped his fingers.

"She must've been the one who was left behind," Naomi explained. "She went to the school? Why would she do that?"

"On Ben's orders, of course," Miles mumbled. "Well what does she want with us?"

"Probably wants Ben's 3.2 million dollars back," Frank said.

Miles shook his head. "No way. But you're probably right. And she's not going to get it."

"Sorry about the sudden change of subject," Charlotte said randomly. "But shouldn't we go to see Penelope soon?"

"With her there?" Miles said doubtfully. "Risky, but we should. Tomorrow."

"How?" Frank said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Naomi scoffed. "You do know we never un-registered ourselves as students?" Naomi asked them. They looked shocked. "Yeah. So we're still legally allowed on the campus."

"But it's not like we can just approach her," Charlotte stated. "Wouldn't that be just a little awkward?"

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"Hey!" Desmond shouted. "Be on the lookout," he added quietly.

"What?" Sawyer said.

"Lookout for what?" Juliet asked curiously.

Ana glared at her as Desmond said, "Just… unusual things. Okay?" He pleaded. Juliet nodded sympathetically. "Thank you," he told her and rushed off.

"Wow, that wasn't a complete lie," Ana said to Juliet.

Juliet grinned. "What do you think he means by unusual things?"

Sawyer shrugged. "Pigs on two feet?" he suggested. "Oh, look, there's one now!" he shouted, pointing to Hurley.

Juliet began laughing and so did Ana, but she had enough courtesy to yell "Sawyer!"

"I speak the truth," he shrugged. Ana started yelling at him which bored Juliet greatly.

"See you," She said.

"Where are you going?" Ana asked rapidly. "Outside again?"

"No," she shook her head. "I like the chilly weather, but it gets to be too much, you know? I think I'll just go read a book or something. Go on the computer."

"Excellent idea," Sawyer said. "I love reading." This amused Juliet; to her, Sawyer wouldn't be the type of guy who loves reading.

Ana spotted Juliet's doubt and said, "It's true. I know what you're thinking, but, yeah, it's true." Juliet raised her eyebrows in complete astonish which caused Ana to laugh. Sawyer thought it weird that they could act enemies one moment and somewhat friendly the next.

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"Hi," Naomi said.

Penny looked up from her notes. "Hi," she said slowly. Naomi and Charlotte sat down next to her.

"How're you doing?" Naomi asked.

"I'm good," Penny replied kindly, not showing her confusion. She didn't even _know _these people. "And you?"

"Great, thanks," Naomi said. "What're you up to?"

"Studying," She said. "You know, for the exams."

They nodded politely. "So how do you think you're doing on those?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm quite confident," Penny told them. "Nervous, but isn't everyone? All in all, I expect a good score." She paused. "Who _are _you?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Charlotte said with believable-yet still fake- sincerity. "I'm Charlotte Lewis and this is Naomi Dorrit."

Penny nodded slowly. "Okay," she said. "And what do you want with me?"

"Well," Charlotte began. "Truth be told, we've met your father. Charles Widmore."

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**Yay! Okay, tell me, please, who do you want Kate and Boone to be paired up with? So far its Koone winning. Vote 108 for Koone and 4815 for OCs.**

**Also for…very long time in the future, what kind of drink do you think Sawyer would sneak into school? Some drink that would probably not be allowed on a school campus. Thanks for the help!**


	35. Singing, Dancing, and Throwing Stuff

**The polls are still open: 108 Koone, 4815 OC's.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own LOST but me and my army of onion farmers will take over.**

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A look of genuine anger came over Penny's face. "My father? Well you can tell him that he can mind his own business and that-,"

"Whoa, calm down there," Naomi said. "We're only passing on the message. I don't know what he did, but he really cares about you. He told us to come see you."

"Did he?" Penny asked doubtfully. Naomi didn't answer. No, he didn't, was the right answer, but Matthew says in no circumstances were Naomi to say that.

Before Naomi could respond, someone took the seat beside Penny and gave her a quick kiss. "Who are these people?" he asked. It was Desmond.

Desmond froze. It was just the people he was expecting. "Come on, Penny, we can't stay here," he said, pulling Penny up.

"Des, what's wrong?" Penny questioned.

"I'll tell you later," Desmond murmured.

"Hey, it's okay," Charlotte assured him. "There's no problem here-," Charlotte was interrupted when Desmond dragged Penny off. Charlotte and Naomi glanced at each other. They did the best they could, and now Penny would probably never trust them again.

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"Hey Desmond," Juliet said. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "Did you say you needed to say Charlotte or Naomi?"

"No!" Juliet shouted. "I mean, sort of! Why- are they here?"

"They were, just about five minutes ago," Desmond said. "Out by the football field. But you better run, sister. They could already be gone." Juliet took his advice and sprinted across the campus.

She arrived at the football field and saw no one. Then it hit her; Desmond would call soccer football. She tore across campus back towards the soccer fields. Still, no one was there.

Juliet was enraged. The one moment she was not constantly waiting outside, they had come. But she refused to let this opportunity pass up. Juliet ran as fast as she could to Dan's house and rang the doorbell repeatedly. Finally, Dan answered.

"Juli_et_," he moaned. "What are you _doing _here?"

"More importantly, what were you doing on our campus?" Juliet interrogated. "No-well, not you, but your friends?"

"Uh," Dan stammered. "Well- you see, - why would you come all this way just to ask why Naomi and Charlotte were over there?"

"Because I need to know!" She yelled.

"Hey!" Miles interrupted, coming to the door. "Did Ben send you?"  
Juliet froze. This can't be good. "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Because he did," Miles said. "Didn't he? Why?"

"You know what, Miles?" Juliet said ferociously. "I'm not going to lie to you. Yes, Ben did send me. He sent me to that other school to talk to you. He wants me to tell you that he knows who you're working for and what you're doing for him."

This time it was Miles' turn to pause. Instead, Dan answered, "What? _We_ don't even know what we're-!"

"Daniel!" Charlotte stopped him. Dan got the picture and ceased talking.

"What was that?" Juliet whispered. Miles glared at Dan.

"Nothing," Miles said. "Faraday doesn't know what he's talking about. Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Juliet was about to retaliate, but she thought better of it. "Fine. But don't expect this is the last time you'll see me." She turned on the spot and trudged back to the school.

She returned to her dorm in which see saw Kate, Ana, Claire, Shannon, Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, and Charlie waiting there.

"Where were you?" Ana inquired with hatred in her voice.

"Ana!" Jack said. "That was so rude!"  
"Oh please," Ana rolled her eyes. "You sound like my mother."

"Jack, it's fine," Juliet smiled at him. "As for you," she said, angrier this time. She was still mad about her meeting with Miles. "Is it really any of your business?"

"Actually, yes," Ana said. "And I don't think you should be talking to me like that."

"Well, I don't care what you think," Juliet snapped back.

"Okay, let's not get crazy here," Kate said calmly. "Ana, maybe it really isn't your business; Juliet, you shouldn't have gotten all angry right away."

No one said anything. After about 10 minutes, Juliet got up and walked out the door without saying a word. Jack sighed and got up to go talk to her.

"That was weird," Shannon commented.

"Yeah, 'none of my business,'" Ana growled. "Sure, I know it's not, the only reason she wouldn't tell me is because she wouldn't want us figuring out what she's really here for."

"I think we should just trust her," Sawyer said tentatively. "Jack trusts her, and it doesn't really look like she's been doing anything she's not supposed to."

"Nothing she's not supposed to?" Ana said disbelievingly. "No, of course not, but that doesn't mean she hasn't been doing something that she _is _supposed to. Have you seen the way she always waits outside, and for nothing?"

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It was Monday and Sawyer was done with his English exam. His book was in his locker and he wasn't allowed to get it. He stared around. Kate was sitting nearest to him, and Kate was sitting next to Boone. Sawyer slowly tore a small bit of his paper and crumpled it into a ball. In a swift motion, he tossed the paper ball onto Kate's head. She looked up. He waved. She shook her head disappointedly and went back to her work.

Sawyer did it again. Kate wouldn't react at all now so he decided to target at Sayid and Libby. They, being done themselves, started throwing them back. Sayid had crumpled up an entire piece of paper. He slowly pulled out his slingshot and loaded the paper onto it. Sawyer ducked, but Sayid still hit him in the back of the head. Kate was now done, but being the good student that she is, she was reading like she was supposed to.

There was only 10 minutes left and everyone but one person was done. It was Charlie. Everyone else was whispering quietly and laughing at Sawyer, who was doing anything to keep people entertained. Singing, dancing, and, mainly, throwing stuff. This was Sawyer's favorite class because his teacher was really nice. She kept telling him to be quiet and Sawyer would always just start complaining about how much he hated his other teachers.

"Do you complain like this to any other teachers?" She asked.

"No, just you," Sawyer told her.

Kate began looking over her work one last time in the last five minutes.

"Holy crap you write a lot," Sawyer whispered. "Look how much I wrote."

Kate shrugged and erased a word. The bell rang to dismiss them from their classes.

Kate ran towards Charlie. "Hey, Charlie, did you finish your essay on time? I know that we were all talking and I felt bad."

"Yeah, barely," Charlie told her and walked to his locker. Kate shrugged and turned around.

She was surprised to see Juliet walking down the hallway with a small, bleeding cut just above her eye. "Are you okay?" Kate asked immediately.

"Like you care," Juliet said.

"I do care," Kate said. At that time Ana arrived to talk to Kate. She froze when she saw Juliet.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

"Some kids threw a textbook at my head," Juliet told them.

As much as Ana and Kate didn't like Juliet, they didn't think anyone should actually treat her that way. "Who?" Ana demanded. Juliet pointed down the hall. Ana was glad to see that it was Ace and Matt.

She stormed down the hall. "You think throwing things is funny?" She asked them, grabbing the collar of their shirts. "How would you like it if threw a book at you? Or perhaps something heavier?"

She pushed them into the wall, making several students scatter. Then some teacher came up to her and gave her a detention. She didn't care; it was worth it.

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**I don't know why I added that last part in. I needed to add something about exams. Keep voting! Koone is winning, so I put Kate and Boone next to each other in class. **

**Next chapter: Exams are over, and the teacher makes an announcement.**


	36. What Am I Going To Do Now?

**I'm pretty sure Koone is the winner- but don't give up!**

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"Exams are _finally_ over," Claire sighed, sinking into a bean-bag chair.

"I know," Shannon said. "Did we ever agree on going somewhere for Spring Break?"

"No," Boone said. "But do we really want to go somewhere? We could always just go to the beach closest to here, or to one of our houses."

"No, the beach here sucks," Jack told them. "It's got, like, dead fish skeletons all over the place and broken glass."

"Okay," Boone suggested. "How about one of our houses?"

"Not mine," Kate said. "I've got the worst stepfather in the history of the world."

"My mom has a thing for more than one person being over," Jack said. "She would hate all of you there."

"I'm not even allowed to have people over," Sawyer mumbled. "My stupid foster mom's evil rules."

"We could always go to my house," Boone said.

"Boone! No!" Shannon shouted. "Sabrina, _the witch_, will blame it all on me and I'll get in trouble! The least amount of time I spend with her the better."

"Well, Shannon, do you have a better idea?" Boone argued.

Shannon paused, thinking. "Fine."

"Yeah, if we can survive one more class," Charlie moaned. "Exams are over, but we still have four classes until the end of the day."

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"Excuse me," Shannon raised her hand after the teacher made his announcement. "But aren't we a bit too _old_ for field trips?" The entire class burst out laughing.

"Perhaps, but a trip to WashingtonD.C. is not only very educational, but it's a guaranteed good time," The teacher said. "You will be with the same roommates as you have now and the whole floor is made up of this school's freshmen. Not to mention that the hotel pool is on that floor."

"Okay, never mind," Shannon corrected herself quickly. "It's a brilliant idea."

"I thought you would approve," the teacher said. "These permission slips are due at the end of Spring Break, and the field trip is at the beginning of April. The St. Patrick's day dance has been canceled as well."

Much of the class groaned. "I don't need no stinking permission," Sawyer said. "Not like my parents will care."

"Yeah, I know," Kate agreed. "I need my mom's permission. My dad would just be like, 'You don't need to go on no field trip! You gots to-,' and then in the middle of his sentence he would pass out from too much drinking."

Shannon laughed. "Yeah, well I'm going to have to ask Sabrina, and she hates me. Maybe I should get Boone to ask her for me. She can't say no to him."

The teacher got the class's attention back. "The trip will last one week. One day will be spent with relaxation, one will be spent shopping, and the rest are sight-seeing."

"Ooh, shopping," Shannon said. "This trip just sounds better and better with every word."

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It was the same position as before. Frank was at his fish tank, Miles and Naomi were working together at a desk, and Dan and Charlotte were sitting on the floor playing cards. But this time, they were waiting. They were waiting for a phone call from Matthew Abbadon, the man who had hired them to work for Charles Widmore.

Charles Widmore had told them to keep him updated with news about his daughter's school. Dan would walk to the school each morning and swipe a newspaper. This is what Miles and Naomi were reading.

"It says they're going on a WashingtonD.C. trip," Miles said aloud. "We better tell Widmore about that when he actually calls."

"It also says that they need their parents' permission first," Naomi pointed out. "Which means Penny will have to ask Charles about it."

"Yes, but if we tell him first, we might get paid more," Miles said.

Naomi was about to say something else when the doorbell rang. Dan sighed and went to his door. "Are you Faraday?" The person at the door asked.

"It's Matthew," Naomi said confusedly. "Why is he here?"

He walked into the room with someone else. "I thought it safer if we talked face to face. Mr. Lapidus, Mr. Straume, Mr. Faraday, Miss Lewis, nice to meet you. Miss Dorrit, nice to see you again." Naomi nodded obediently.

"This is Charles Widmore," Matthew introduced the man standing next to him.

"I hear you have news of my daughter," Charles said.

"Yes, sir," Naomi said. "We didn't get much out of her, but she says that she was quite confident in her exams which ended today. Before she left, someone came over to her, and he was apparently dating her. Hume, sir. Desmond David Hume."

"Desmond?" Charles said abruptly. "Faraday, get me his file, will you?"

"Yes, sir," Dan nodded and headed to his computer. In about 30 seconds he had already pulled up Desmond's file and printed it out.

"You're a smart one, aren't you?" Charles said, taking the file out of Dan's hand. "Thank you. Any more news?"

"Not much, sir," Naomi told him. "All we know is that the student's need permission from parents to go on a WashingtonD.C. trip in April."

"A trip?" Charles said. "I see…"

"Excuse me, sir," Miles interrupted. "But was there any real meaning to this assignment?"

"Miles!" Naomi hissed.

Charles laughed. "I'm glad you asked, Straume. Smart thinking and the answer is yes. The meaning was to earn your trust. Did it work?"

"I guess," Miles said, perplexed. "Why did you need to earn our trust?"

"Another excellent question!" Charles exclaimed. "We could use a man like you in the Widmore Corp. But that is not what this is about. You see, we hear that you five have been doing some research involving an island in the South Pacific Ocean."

Miles turned away. How did he know about that? "Who told you that?" he asked without turning back towards him.

"We have our sources," Charles said. "Is this true?"

Miles was not about to make the wrong decision. He thought about what to say. "So what if it is?"

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"Are you sure?" Jack asked disappointedly.

"Yeah, Jack, I really don't think anyone else wants me to go," Juliet said.

"You thought right," Ana said.

"Ana, _shut up!"_ Jack said.

"Yeah, it's okay," Juliet smiled. "I've got plenty of other things that I could be doing."

"Which involve what?" Ana asked.

"Which involves none of your business," Juliet said.

"Are you absolutely sure you don't want to come to their house with us?" Jack reiterated. "I don't care what they think._ I_ want you there."

"Jack, that's very sweet of you, but I would prefer staying here," Juliet stated. Jack shrugged in a final sort of way.

"I guess we'd better get going, then," Jack said to everyone else, who quickly picked up their bags and walked out of the dorm. He turned his attention back to Juliet. "You can still change your mind."

"Jack," Juliet laughed. "It's a trip to a house. It's okay."

"Well, then, I guess I'll be seeing you later," he said. He hesitated, and then bent over and kissed her on the cheek. "Bye."

Juliet stood, now alone, in the room, thinking only one thing. _What am I going to do now?_

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**Short chapter, but it doesn't mean you can't still review! **

**Next chapter: Boone's house! What should happen there? Suggestions, please!**


	37. Whoa

**No wait, I think I remember a certain reviewer suggesting a 'random idea' a while back. What was it, you ask? I believe it was CHAIRE fan suggesting that the girls have a sleepover and play Truth or Dare!**

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"Took you long enough," Ana said impatiently when Jack ran out the doors after them.

"Sorry," Jack said. "Got held up."

"Of course you did," Kate said. "Come on, let's go." They loaded their bags into the car.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Shannon said angrily. 

"What are we supposed to do, Shannon? Stay here all break?" Boone said. "Just avoid her, Shannon; you know you want to avoid her as much as she wants to avoid you."

"Wow, thanks, Boone," Shannon rolled her eyes. Boone sighed and shook his head.

"Couldn't persuade Juliet to go, huh?" Sawyer said to Jack.

"Nope," Jack replied. "I tried; that's all that matters."

"Why do you trust her so much?" Sawyer asked.

"Why don't you?" Jack said. "I'm a trusting person, Sawyer, I think you should know that."

"I think you trust people to easily, Jack-o," Sawyer said. "A cute girl shouldn't blind you from what she could really be doing here."

"W-what?" Jack stammered.

Sawyer laughed. "Don't think you don't know what I'm talking about. It's obvious, Doc, you like her. Which is weird because she kinda reminds me of Sarah."

"Hey, guys!" Claire shouted. "Hurry up over there!"

"Coming!" Sawyer called. "Make your move, cuz I think she likes you back."

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Juliet sat on her bed, staring, thinking. She knew what she _should _do, yes, but she didn't think she _really _should. And that made no sense to her at all.

Her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was Ben. She decided to let it ring. She knew she had more important things to do then to worry about lying, manipulative Ben.

Which, of course, was the problem. Ben was a liar, and Juliet didn't trust him as much as anybody here trusted her. Except for Jack.

And that's where the other problem comes in. She liked Jack ever since she first laid eyes on him and now she knows he likes her too.

The choice was clear to Juliet, but was it right? Ben, the liar, or Jack? She knew she preferred Jack, but she had promised Ben. But what had Ben promised her in the last few years she'd known him that he hadn't ever given her? _A lot of things_, Juliet answered herself.

The more she thought, the more she was leaning toward telling Jack everything. She wouldn't tell anyone else because they wouldn't believe her and that was totally fine with her. Juliet didn't care what they thought anyway.

She kicked a pillow moodily. Her life was always so complicated, what with her sister having cancer and her life torn between two people.

On the other side, staying on Ben's side was where all of her friends-except Jack-were. And she had a boyfriend over there, Goodwin, but now she had feelings for Jack. Was it really worth it? She knew her life would be a lot more unhappy with them.

Again, the question ran flew Juliet's mind: _What am I going to do now? _

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"He can trust us, so we can trust him!" Miles whispered.

"Yeah, well, we're perfectly capable of finding this island on our own!" Naomi argued. "Miles, for once, will you please not think about the money involved?"

"What's the harm, really, Naomi?" Dan asked. "It's not like it makes a difference."

"It most certainly makes a difference!" Naomi said. "We don't even know why he wants to go to the island- he could possibly harm it."

"Let's just vote, okay?" Dan said exhaustedly. "All those in favor of working for Charles, go to the left, everyone else, go right."

Dan and Miles were on the left, and Naomi and Charlotte were on the right. They looked at Frank. "I'm thinking!" Frank said. He, for one, thought things through carefully before taking action.

"Dan's right," Frank finally said. "There's no harm."

Naomi bit her lip. "Fine. But it's your heads on the line."

"Having doubts, I see?" Charles said when they returned. "I realize that you may not trust me, and you have every right not to. If you wish, you could do a huge favor for me, and may cause us to trust each other more."

"We're listening," Charlotte said. Anything that would put the doubt out of her mind.

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"Whoa," everyone said, except Boone and Shannon. They were staring at Boone and Shannon's house in awe. It was like a mansion.

"It's really not much," Boone said modestly.

"Are you kidding?" Kate gaped. "My house is this crappy little shed, it could be made out of Legos it's so small. My mom is the only one with a job, all Wayne does is spend money on beer-,"

"Who do we have here?" someone said. They turned around.

"Hi Mom," Boone said wearily. "These are my friends. We were hoping we could spend a few days here for Spring Break."

"Well of course you can!" Sabrina said. " Shannon, dear, how are you coping?"

"Fine, Sabrina," Shannon rolled her eyes.

"It's awfully lonely without you two and Adam," Sabrina said sadly. "So sad, so sad… well, what are you just standing here for? Go on in!"

The group of people hesitantly stepped into the Carlyle house. Each room was excessively decorated with elegant furniture, such as rooms you'd see in a hotel lobby. This was even more shocking than the exterior.

"Boone, why don't you take them to your room?" Sabrina suggested. Boone shrugged and showed his friends up the stairs and into another large room. This one was not as fancily decorated; in fact, it was a total mess and mostly black and red.

"Nice color choice," Kate commented.

"Thanks," Boone said awkwardly. "Sorry about the mess."

"Oh, it's not like mine's any better," Kate said, walking around the room.

"Sabrina doesn't seem that bad," Claire said.

"Oh, no, that's what she wants you to think," Shannon said. "She's a witch, I tell you."

"Whatever," Jack said. "What do you guys have to do here?"

"What don't we have to do here?" Shannon laughed. "I guess we should give them the grand tour."

"How long is that going to take, three days?" Sawyer said sarcastically. "Everyone get with a buddy, we don't want anybody getting lost."

"Well, I guess we'll start here," Boone shrugged, ignoring Sawyer's comment. "This is my floor."

"Your _floor?"_ Charlie questioned doubtfully. "This entire story is all yours?"

"Yeah," Boone said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. " Shannon's is one level up, and Mom insists she doesn't need an entire floor, so she just has a room on the ground floor."

"We can look around each floor and you guys can decide where we want to sleep," Shannon told them. "That is, if we want to sleep at all."

"The basement, Shan," Boone said. "We have got to stay in the basement."

"What's in the basement?" Ana asked curiously.

_"Everything,"_ Shannon and Boone said at the same time. They beckoned them out the door. "Shall we take the elevator?" Boone suggested.

It turned out that the elevator fit all of them and once they reached the basement, they were more astonished than before.

What they saw first was a bar, fridge, and freezer. Each was filled with snacks. There was a spinning disco ball from the ceiling, a huge trampoline, and an air hockey table. In another room were a pool table, ping-pong table, and a couple of old-fashioned arcade games. A bunch of video games and systems with a plasma screen, high definition TV were in another room. Finally, in the largest room was a warm, indoor pool and hot tub. The wall had a few small, twisting water slides and each wall had rock climbing materials on it.

"I never want to leave," Kate said.

"We are so going to have to try out that hot tub," Sawyer said.

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**Next time, truth or dare! But first, a little surprise for everyone, but especially- someone.**


	38. The British are Coming

**Disclaimer: I don't really see the point in saying this every other chapter but I don't own LOST.**

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Ana dipped her hand into the pool water. "Ooh, it's really warm." She stepped back.

Boone and Shannon were explaining Sabrina's 'rules.' No one was really paying attention. Ana glanced at Sawyer and they grinned mischievously. They knew that they were both thinking the exact same thing.

In the middle of a sentence they both took off running. They jumped simultaneously into the water and they landed at the exact same time, so it sounded like one big splash. They both emerged from the water in time to see everyone laughing.

"What was that all about?" Shannon asked. 

They shrugged and got out of the pool. "That is a nice pool you got there," Ana told them.

"What do you want to do?" Boone asked them.

"Dry off," Sawyer said, which made everyone else laugh again. "You all laugh so easily. It's as if I was in grade school again."

"At least we're not playing some dumb grade school game like Truth or Dare," Ana commented. Everyone glanced at each other. "I really should not have said that."

"Come on! It'll be fun," Claire said optimistically.

"Somehow I doubt that," Ana said, and yet agreed on it anyway. They gathered in a room.

"Don't forget the pledge, Shan," Boone reminded her.

"Oh yeah," Shannon remembered. "Everyone hold up your right hand. Now repeat after me- don't worry, it's one sentence: _I pledge to perform any dare asked to, or answer any question that I am asked truthfully." _

Before they could start, the doorbell rang. They all went upstairs, puzzled, to answer it. It was Juliet.

"Jack," Juliet whispered. "I need to talk to Jack."

"What's wrong?" Jack asked concernedly.

"I need to-," She stopped. She looked at Ana and Sawyer. "What happened to you?"

"Never mind," Jack said. "Guys, go ahead and start the game without me."

They shrugged and went back downstairs. "Who goes first?" Kate asked.

"You do," Boone told her.

"Okay," Kate said. "Um… Claire, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Claire said immediately. She was not the risk-taking type of person.

"What is the weirdest thing you've ever done to get revenge on someone?" Kate asked.

"Oh, that's an easy one," Claire laughed. "Well, I was really mad at my mom for whatever reason. Now you have to understand that she really loves my curly, blonde hair. So what I did was straighten it, and then I dyed it black."

Everyone burst out laughing. "I'd like to see that," Charlie joked. Claire reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture.

"But that's not all," Claire explained. "I also decided to take a job at a tattoo parlor, but just as like a cashier."

"Wow," Kate said. "That's shocking, Claire, if there was one person I would never expect to do that it would be you."

"Claire, go," Shannon ordered.

"Oh, right!" Claire remembered. "Sawyer, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Sawyer said.

"I dare you to pick truth next time," Claire said.

"What?" Sawyer exclaimed. "Can she do that?"

Boone and Shannon nodded solemnly. "It's happened only when someone really wants to know something about someone else."

"Fine," Sawyer grunted. "Boone, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Boone said slowly.

"Did you ever fake sickness or anything to not hang out with your sister?" Sawyer asked.

"All the time," Boone laughed. "Still do, in fact. Charlie, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Charlie said confidently.

"You're English, right?" Boone asked. Charlie nodded. "Alright. Well then I dare you to run down Boone and Shannon's street yelling 'the British are coming!' like Paul Revere."

Charlie shrugged and walked up the stairs. Everyone followed and peered out the window as Charlie did what he was asked to. He even put an extra twist on it by ringing someone's doorbell and screaming it in the person's face.

When he walked in, he asked, "Who was that?"

"Mrs. Ranell," Boone answered. "She's, like, crazy. Once she started yelling at me and Shannon for stealing and killing her cat, and her cat was standing right next to her, _alive._"

"Uh oh," Charlie said. "Then she might think its back during the Revolutionary War. She's probably calling 911 right now, asking if George Washington's there. Ana, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Ana shrugged.

"I dare you to," he paused. "Dye your hair pink."

"WHAT!" Ana screamed, jumping up. "NO! I'd rather _die!_"

"Okay, okay, I'll be nice," Charlie said. "Only the tips of your hair. As in 2 ½ inches up."

"Well, I would," Ana began, searching for an excuse. "But I don't have any pink hair dye."

"Oh, that's okay," Boone said. " Shannon got the same dare a long time ago-not that she cared, - so we have some here already."  
Shannon led her up the stairs. Ana looked as if she was caught doing something illegal, and was sentenced to prison.

Ana trudged back down the stairs ten minutes later. The pink in her hair stood out like a bonfire on a dark night.

"I hate my life," she muttered. "I'm going to take it out on Shannon. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Shannon said nervously. She didn't want to get a dare from a depressed, angry, Ana.

Ana swore. "Um… What did you think of Boone, when you first met him?"

Shannon laughed. "I thought he was a freak. I thought he was crazy, and I was furious at my dad for making me hang out with him."

"Thanks, Shan," Boone muttered. "Right back at you."

"Sayid," Shannon said. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Sayid said randomly.

"What's the heaviest thing you ever shot in your slingshot?" Shannon asked curiously.

Sayid laughed. "Once, when I was 11, I tried to fire a rock at the wall. My aim wasn't as good back then, so I accidentally shot my dad's friend in the head."

"Ouch," Shannon said. "What did he think?"

"He said that I'd be good in the military, because that hurt a lot," Sayid told them. "He thought it was funny, but my dad thought otherwise. Kate, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Kate said bravely.

"Call your stepfather," Sayid said. "I'm curious to see why you dislike him so much."

"Dislike? I HATE him," Kate shuddered. She pulled out her cell phone.

"_Katie? Where are ya?" _

"Friend's house."

_"Ain't you supposed to be done wit' school 4 hours ago?" _

"It's Saturday, Wayne. I didn't have school, and it's Spring Break."

_"Well watchoo callin' for? Can't ya tell we don't want to talk to ya?" _

Kate bit her lip and tears came to her eyes. "I- I called to say hi."

_"Say hi? What kind o' dumb excuse is that?" _

" Wayne, where's Mom?" Kate asked accusingly. Jack and Juliet walked downstairs.

"_None o' your business Katie! She's here; she's gettin' ice from the freezer." _

"What did you do?"

_"What did I do? You the one who disappeared for the past 6 hours!" _

" Wayne, first of all, I've been gone for months. Second of all, Mom knows where I am."

_"Don't you talk ta me like that! I'm your father, you respect that!" _

"You're not my father!" Kate yelled, then hung up.

"Kate, I'm so sorry," Sayid said.

"Don't be," Kate muttered. "That wasn't bad compared to what he does otherwise. Jack, truth or dare?"

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**That's not the end, people! Liking the game so far? I hope so. You'll soon find out what Juliet is doing here.**


	39. Sugar Cookies

"Truth," Jack said.

Kate knew what she wanted to ask Jack, but she was his friend and knew he probably would be embarrassed. Sawyer glanced at her as if telling her to go on with her idea. She shook her head, "Jack, when you were at your dad's hospital, did you ever catch a doctor doing something they weren't supposed to, and not told anyone?"

"More than once," Jack laughed. "Some- _Most _of them were my dad. Claire, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Claire responded. What was life without a little risk anyway?

"Ooh, that was unexpected," Jack sighed. "Uh…"

"Jack, listen," Shannon said, and whispered something in his ear. 

"You sure?" he questioned. She nodded vigorously. "Okay… Claire, Shannon dares you to go ask her neighbor how her cat is."

Everyone burst out laughing, except Jack and Juliet who weren't there when they explained about crazy Mrs. Ranell.

Claire got up and walked outside. They watched from the window again. They saw Claire casually begin the conversation and Mrs. Ranell start shrieking in her face. Alarmed, Claire practically ran back to the house.

"What did she say?" Shannon giggled.

"Well, I asked her how her cat was," Claire said. "And she was like, 'Fluffy was fine until those two children came and killed it! It all started with that three-headed devil dog of theirs!'"

Boone and Shannon glanced at each other. "We don't have a dog," Boone said slowly.

"Weird," Claire said. "Anyway, Sawyer, truth or dare?"

"Truth, right?" Sawyer grumbled. "Got no choice."

"Right, right," Claire said. "Sawyer, how did your parents die?"

Sawyer paused. "Can I please pass on this one?"

"C'mon, Sawyer, we're your friends," Claire said. "You can trust us."

Sawyer went into this long explanation. With every sentence they were more and more shocked. "Wow, Sawyer, I'm so sorry," Claire whispered.

"It's over now," Sawyer mumbled. "Nothing I could do about it."

Ana reached over and hugged him. "Juliet," Sawyer muttered. "Truth or dare?"

Juliet bit her lip. It was not her intention to be included in this game. "Truth," she answered, not seeing what they could ask.

"What are you doing at our school?" Sawyer asked immediately.

Juliet felt all eyes on her. "I-uh," she stammered.

"She's not answering that," Jack shook his head.

"The pledge, Jack-o," Sawyer reminded him.

"She wasn't here for the pledge," Jack defended her. "Technically, she doesn't have to answer this truthfully."

"Well, Jack, she keeps persisting that she came for educational purposes," Ana pointed out. "So what's the problem, really?"

"Jack, it's okay," Juliet said finally.

"No, actually, it's not okay," Jack said. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"Why you defending her Doc?" Sawyer asked. "You know something you ain't telling us?"

"I'm here," Juliet said loudly. "Because Ben sent me here. I've been having doubts ever since he ordered me here. Today, when I got here, I finally told Jack everything. I told him that Ben wanted me to confront Miles. But Ben lied to me, more than once, and I don't think I can trust him anymore. I can trust Jack, so I decided to forget my old life… my old friends."

"What did Ben lie to you about?" Claire inquired.

"That wasn't part of the question now, was it?" Juliet told her.

"I think we should just quit the game," Sayid suggested. "Some uncomfortable topics are coming up."

"No!" Ana practically yelled. "I want to figure out more about Juliet."

"Ana, you can't truthfully tell me you've been enjoying this game," Juliet said doubtfully. "Unless, of course, you enjoy your new hairstyle."

Ana looked as if she was about to throw up. "Who was the one that did this to me again?"

"Me," Charlie told her.

"Remind me to kill you later," Ana said. Charlie gave her a thumbs-up.

"So what _will _we do now?" Claire questioned.

No one answered. They began to just talk, and the conversation lasted for about another two hours, because everyone-with the possible exception of Ana- could trust each other now. Kate suddenly said, "Hey, I'm kind of thirsty, can I get a water?"

"Sure," Boone answered. " Shannon, go get Kate a water."

"Ew, no," Shannon shuddered. "_Sabrina _is up there. There will be no unnecessary contact with her for me, thank you very much."

Boone sighed. "Fine." He pushed himself off the chair. "Come on. I'll show you."

"Hey, get a bag of chips while you're at it," Shannon ordered. Normally, Boone would've argued, but he felt Shannon had a point: They should have snacks down there.

Boone led the way upstairs. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a few bottles of water and some pop. "Take whatever you want. I'm going to get some snacks for us." Boone began pulling out chips and cookies and stuff.

"Ooh, I love those," Kate said at the sight of some sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles.

"I know, me too," Boone said. "The only bad thing is that everyone loves them so you only end up having, like, one."

"I know what you mean," Kate agreed. "But they can't eat them all if they don't know we had them."

"Smart thinking," Boone told her. He hopped up onto his counter with the box of cookies. "You can come up here, she won't yell at you." Kate could tell 'she' meant Sabrina. Kate followed him.

"I'll take half, you take half?" Kate suggested.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Boone said. There were 12 to a box.

"They're probably wondering what's taking so long," Kate said after a while.

"Yeah," Boone said. "They'll probably know what we're doing. Well, at least Shannon will. She's smarter than you think."

Kate shrugged, and in doing so, dropped a piece of her cookie onto the floor. Boone immediately jumped down to pick it up. He moved towards the garbage. "No!" Kate yelled. "I'll still eat it. It looks like Sabrina keeps the floor pretty clean in here."

"I've never met a girl who will eat food off the floor," Boone said, handing the cookie to her. "It's not like it's a big deal, right?"

"Five second rule," They both said at the same time.

"Well we better get going back down there," Boone said, brushing his hands off.

"Wait!" Kate said, almost choking. "I'm not done yet! You're a fast eater."

"Maybe you're just a slow eater," Boone countered.

"Yeah, I know," Kate admitted immediately. "My mom used to always complain whenever I kept them waiting."

"I have time. I'll wait for you," Boone told her. Kate simply smiled.

They heard Shannon shout 'hurry up' from downstairs. "Okay, now you better hurry," Boone warned. Kate practically stuffed half the cookie in her mouth and tossed the box away. They ran downstairs and Kate swallowed just in time.

"What took you so long?" Jack asked, swiping a Pepsi from Boone's hands.

"I wanted to look at that hi-def TV in the living room," Kate explained. "It really is something." Boone was amused. Kate sure could make up excuses quickly.

"Boone, do we have any of those sugar cookies left?" Shannon asked.

"Nope," Boone shook his head. "That's another thing that took us so long. I was looking for those." Kate almost laughed. Boone was good at making excuses on the spot.

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**Wow, I managed to add some Koone in there at the end! Not much, but it's a start. Next chapter… They get back to school (after swimming) and start planning the D.C. trip! Keep on reviewing!**


	40. Diamondback

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who has kept reading. It's still going to be a lot more chapters till the end, but I hope you'll stick with me till then. After that, it's the summer break fic. For future reference, I plan on calling it Summer: A Break from Campus.

Disclaimer: I don't own LOST. Whoa… De-ja-vu, it's like I said that before…

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"Oh my god," Shannon said. "They won't let you bring MP3's or iPod's on the D.C. trip. They think you'll listen to them during the tour."

"What?!" Charlie exclaimed. "I can't live without music!"

"C'mon, it'll so be worth it," Sayid said. "Don't you want to learn about American history? We'll get to see the White House, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, the-,"

"Okay we get it!" Shannon interrupted. "We're going to go to sleep at like ten and wake up at like six in the morning."

"I can't wait to get a personal tour of the White House," Claire said. Claire, Shannon, Ana, Charlie, Sayid, and Sawyer were the only ones awake.

"Can we please do something interesting?" Sawyer said, clearly bored.

"Sawyer, for the last time, we're not going to go in the hot tub!" Ana said.

"It was just a suggestion!" Sawyer countered. "Want to play pool?" They agreed to this.

"Okay, I'll play pool with Sawyer," Charlie said. "There's only one, so we can take turns. In the meantime, if you want, you can go play air hockey and ping-pong."

Claire and Shannon decided to play ping-pong, which left Ana and Sayid to face off at air hockey. In each game, Charlie won against Sawyer, Shannon won against Claire, and Sayid won against Ana.

"What kind of video games do you have?" Ana asked Shannon, digging through the games.

"Tons," Shannon answered. "Take your pick."

"Charlie!" Claire shouted. "They have Guitar Hero!"

"Oh, yeah," Shannon said. "It's pretty fun; I'm only on Medium, but it's still really great. My personal favorite is Guitar Hero 2."

"Let's play 80's," Ana said. "I want to play The Heat of the Moment."

"Oh, that's such a terrible song," Sawyer moaned. Ana agreed.

"But it's funny," Ana said as an excuse.

They started playing, and Ana got first song, which was Heat of the Moment. Everyone began singing along when it said "Do you remember when we used to dance?" 

The next morning, everyone woke up to the sound of Because it's Midnite by Limozeen.

"What the heck are you guys doing?" Kate asked, staring wondrously at the screen. They all simultaneously told them.

Once everybody started playing, it was a long wait till your next song. Therefore, the people who had been playing all night went to the pool and hot tub. Everyone gradually joined them.

At one point in time they had a diving contest. In that, Claire managed to jump off the diving board and do 3 flips before hitting the water. She won. Boone also climbed the rock wall and jumped from the top.

What they didn't notice about the pool at first was that there was a waterfall that connected to the rock wall. It led to a small cavern. The cavern was only about the size of a garage, and the walls were an aquarium full of otters that flipped and turned in the water.

"I love this place," Kate said, mesmerized by this one otter that kept going through a log, then did a flip and went into the other end of the log.

"He always does that, we don't know why," Boone explained. "We got this when we were really little. I wanted fish in here like piranhas, sharks, and barracudas, but that was when I was really young. Shannon wanted a tank full of seahorses, starfish, and oysters. We finally agreed on otters when seeing them at the zoo."

"That was a great zoo," Shannon remembered. "Remember the okapi, Boone?"

"Those things were weird!" Boone said.

"What were they?" Claire asked curiously.

"They were these weird creatures that were like horses on the front half, but the back legs were black and white striped like a zebra," Shannon told them.

"Wow," Sawyer said. "They were just like brown and suddenly turned black and white?" Boone and Shannon nodded. "Freaky."

"Hey," Kate said suddenly. "Where's Jack?"

"I think he went upstairs about five minutes ago," Boone told her.

Kate, curious, went upstairs as well. Jack was just sitting on the couch, staring at the wall, or the TV, or something. "Hey."

"Hey," Jack said back. "What are you doing up here?"

"To ask what you're doing up here," Kate told him. "What are you doing up here?"

"I got a headache, so I decided to sit down just for a minute," Jack said. "I'll be back down."

Kate realized something. "Where's Juliet?"

"She left, about ten minutes ago," Jack said. "She said that she didn't intend on staying anyway, and had to go home to ask her parents for permission for the Washington D.C. trip."

"Oh, that's true," Kate remembered. "We should all do that before the break is over. But seriously, Jack, you should come back down and watch the otters or something."

Jack shrugged. "Sure, I'll come down in a minute."

Kate sighed and went back downstairs. "Hey, guys, Jack reminded me that we have to get home and ask our parents for permission for D.C."

"Did he leave?" Shannon asked.

"No, but Juliet did," Kate said. "Apparently she thought no one wanted her here, still."

"That's not true!" Claire protested. "We can trust her now."

"Speak for yourself," Ana muttered. They ignored her.

Boone stood up. "Shannon, I'm going to the Thompson's."

"Why?" Shannon asked. "Oh-yeah, see you later."

"What?" Charlie said. "I'm confused."

"I had a pet snake, but when I realized that I couldn't take it with me to the school, I gave it to the neighbors," Boone explained.

"Cool," Kate said. "I've always wanted to have a pet snake."

"You can come along, if you like," Boone offered. Kate followed him outside. Boone rang the neighbors' doorbell.

"Boone!" a boy said as he opened the door. He looked about 13. "Who is this?"

"My friend, Kate," Boone said.

"Ooh, I see," the boy said. "Well, Kate, I'm Jeff Thompson."

"Hey, Jeff," Kate greeted.

"I suppose you want to see Diamondback?" Jeff said.

Boone shook his head. "I can't believe you changed his name. But, yes, we do."

Jeff led them inside and into his room. Next to the wall was a tank that contained a 2 ½ ft. snake.

"Ooh, what kind is it?" Kate asked, crouching down to get a better look at it.

"We're not really sure," Jeff told her.

Boone reached into the tank and grabbed Diamondback. "You can hold him, if you want, Kate."

"Oh, I don't think so," Kate said hesitantly.

Jeff pulled out a chair. "Sit."

"Why? What are you-?" Kate froze as she felt the cold body of the snake on the back of her neck.

"Just like a scarf, huh?" Boone laughed.

"Sure, that's one way to put it," Kate shuddered. She carefully lifted up the snake's head. "You would really expect them to be, I don't know, scaly or slimy, like a worm, but they're really quite smooth."

"So…" Jeff said. "Shannon didn't come along?"

"No, you know how she feels about snakes," Boone said. "And besides, we've got friends over. I probably shouldn't even be here, so we can't stay long."

Kate gently handed Diamondback to Boone who placed him back in the cage. He slithered into a hollowed out log.

"You should've seen him this morning," Jeff said. "He was just lying in the water bowl, like it was a swimming pool."

"He probably thought it was a swimming pool," Kate said. "Like he was using it to cool off."

"Kate, we'd better head off," Boone said. "Thanks a bunch, Jeff."

"No problem," he responded. They said bye and Kate and Boone went back to Boone's house. By the time they arrived, half of their friends had gone and the other half were getting ready to leave.

"Sabrina signed the permission slips," Shannon told Boone, holding up two pieces of paper. "You leaving, Kate?"

"Yeah. Probably," Kate sighed. "There are two main reasons of why I don't want to leave. One, I hate my house. Two, I love your house."

"And I suppose we have nothing to do with it at all?" Shannon said sarcastically.

"I said main reasons!" Kate laughed.

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Next chapter, preparing for D.C. and the bus ride there.


	41. Like In Movies

The group of friends were all back at the school. "I love this place," Kate said.

"Home's that bad?" Sayid laughed.

"Are you kidding? That was GOOD compared to everything that usually happens," Kate said.

"Everyone here is allowed to go to D.C., right?" Shannon said. Everyone said yes.

"I'm so excited," Claire said energetically. "I wish we got to see the president!"

"Yeah, sure," Sawyer said slowly and sarcastically. "Because we all want to see our president."

"It's already almost time to go, it seems like we just found out," Jack said.

"Are we going to be gone on a Sunday?" Claire asked.

"Yes, why?" Charlie told her.

"Dang it!" Claire said. They stared at her. "On Sundays there are new Simpsons episodes."

"Claire, won't it be worth it?" Shannon said.

"I guess," Claire sighed.

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"Did you plan this so we'd be going to D.C. at the same time as your daughter?" Miles asked skeptically.

"I like you, Straume," Charles said. "You are so observant. Yes, I have some concerns about her. If you can, see how she's doing. But mainly focus on the task I have presented you with."

"Does this really have any point?" Frank questioned, clearly bored.

"No, not really," Charles said.

Naomi rolled her eyes. Leave it to Miles to get her stuck in a situation like this. "Then why bother?"

"Dorrit, was it not you who was the one doubting me in the first place?" Charles said.

"Yeah, it was," Naomi said. "But not like this will make any difference."

"Oh, you may think that, but it will," Charles said. "Do you not care that your friends are trusting enough?"

"No, that's my concern," Naomi told him. "I think they are foolish to trust so easily."

"Naomi!" Miles hissed. She just rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"You really are a group of brilliant people, aren't you?" Charles said. "Dorrit, you are smart to be wary of people. You're right, it's not the right thing to immediately trust someone, although I assure you, you can trust me."

Charles' comment made her even more uneasy. Who is this guy?

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Everyone was bouncing up and down with excitement when it came time to board the buses. "Two to a seat!" the bus driver demanded. "We got two and a half hours till we get to the airport, and you all have to behave yourselves."

"Yeah, that's going to happen," Ana muttered sarcastically. Sawyer, the only one that heard her, laughed and took the seat next to her.

"Nice water bottle," he said. "Doesn't seem like your kind of thing." Ana glanced down at it and grinned. It was pink with a segment in the middle that said 'ANA' in bold lettering. The top was a button you push to open a small dome, which revealed a straw.

"No, I guess it's not," Ana said. "But I only bought it because no one could see what was inside of it."

Sawyer caught on to her plan. "Can I try?" Ana merely handed him the bottle.

"Tequila and tonic," Ana whispered. "My favorite."

"Not my first choice, but I can live with it," Sawyer said.

Ana shrugged. "It's always my first choice."

"I gotta get myself one of these," Sawyer laughed. "You are one smart person."

Ana smiled. "I get that a lot."

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"Something isn't right about this trip," Claire said after a while. "Like something bad is going to happen."

"Something bad always happens," Charlie said, making Claire laugh. "Haven't you noticed that yet?"

"Yeah, I've noticed," Claire giggled. "But, seriously, it's like… ominous. Like in movies when it's completely silent except for some eerie music in the background which makes you think that something is about to pop out at you."

"You're right," Charlie agreed. "It does seem sort of like that, doesn't it? But I don't hear any unnatural music playing, so I think we're safe for now."

Claire laughed again. "Yeah, there's no creepy music because we couldn't even bring our stinkin' iPods on the trip."

"Oh, don't even get me started on that," Charlie sighed. "At least I have you here to keep me company so I don't die of boredom."

Claire smiled shyly. "Don't worry; I'll stay with you as much as possible. I wouldn't want you to die of boredom. But there's one condition."

"What?" Charlie asked.

"You have to make sure I don't die of boredom," Claire said.

"Looks like we're going to have to keep pretty entertained," Charlie said. "Lucky for me, you never get boring."

"Yeah, and neither does poker," Claire said.

"I wouldn't expect you to be the poker-playing type," Charlie said, visibly shocked. "That's good, though, because I heard that Jack is pretty good at it and I want to prove that I'm better."

Before another word could be said, Jack's voice rang through the bus: "Not gonna happen!"

"Or not," Claire laughed.

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"Not gonna happen!" Jack shouted suddenly.

"What was that about?" Juliet asked.

"I just heard Charlie saying that he's better at poker than me," Jack explained. "Which is so not true!" he added loudly.

Juliet just laughed and shook her head. After a while, she said, "Jack, can I tell you something?"

"Anything," Jack said quickly.

"We're not the only school that's going to be in D.C.," Juliet said.

"Yeah, I think the teacher said something about that," Jack said. "Oh- you're afraid that your old school is going to be there."

"Jack, I know they're going to be there," Juliet said quietly. "I-I don't want Ben to figure out that I've betrayed him. No matter how much of a manipulative, deceiving liar he is, he was still my friend."

"A true friend wouldn't be a manipulative, deceiving liar," Jack said, taking her hand in his. "Don't worry about it."

"I can't help but worry," Juliet said.

"I'll be with you the whole time," Jack said.

"Thank you, Jack," Juliet said sincerely, kissing him lightly.

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"This is going to be the best field trip ever," Kate said dreamily.

"You think so?" Boone said.

"Definitely," Kate nodded.

"Well, if you think of the downsides," Boone began. "We're going to be forced to walk a lot."

"Yes, but that just makes the times we don't walk even better," Kate interrupted.

"We're going to be forced to rush through every museum and attraction," Boone said.

"That will just encourage us to go faster," Kate said.

"We have to wake up at like 6 A.M. every morning," Boone added.

"The early bird catches the worm," Kate said.

"Well there's an optimist," Boone rolled his eyes. "How can you possibly think that way?"

"I'm used to bad things, so I try to always look on the bright side of life," Kate shrugged. "You know, living with my evil stepfather and all."

"Well I'm here to help make sure nothing bad will happen to you on this trip," Boone told her.

Cheers suddenly erupted on the bus. "We must be there," Kate said.

"That was faster than I expected," Boone said.

"Well, life always goes faster when you're having fun," Kate said. "Thanks for making this bus ride go faster, Boone."

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So I put in Sana, Chaire, Jacket, and Koone in there! Reviews, please!


	42. How Stupid Are You?

GASP! I didn't put Shayid in the last chapter! I'm currently yelling at myself. Don't worry, fellow Shayidigans, I'll make sure they have their moment on the plane.

Disclaimer: How many times do I have to tell you before you understand? I don't own LOST!

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"I hate airports," Shannon said. "The lines take forever and the food's no good."

"Well, airport food is better than the airplane food," Sawyer said. "The only good stuff on there is the little packs of pretzels they give you."

"That is true," Shannon agreed.

"Wow, we've already got a busy schedule for today," Charlie said, flipping through the schedules they received. "Washington Monument is first. Good, I've always wanted to see that thing."

"I hope we have good hotel rooms," Claire said randomly.

"I know," Kate said. "I hate it when hotel rooms are small and dirty and cramped. Once I stayed at a great place in Arizona and they had a like four rooms. There was a kitchen, a living room with a HUGE TV, a bedroom with another TV, and a bathroom, of course."

"What is with you and Arizona, Kate?" Jack shook his head. "Sounds more like an apartment anyway."

"Hey, look, we're actually at the front of the line," Ana pointed out. "This is going to take forever, to check everyone's bags."

"Cheer up," Sawyer said, helping Ana lift her bags onto the X-Ray conveyor belt…whatever it's called. "We have hours ahead of us to do nothing but sit on a plane."

"Oh, that makes me so much happier," Ana said sarcastically.

They had about 40 minutes until they were to board the plane. "Quick, let's stock up on food before we have to eat that disgusting plane garbage," Jack said.

"I vote McDonald's," Kate said. "I love the McFlurries."

"I second that!" Sawyer said. They spent the time eating and buying snacks for the plane ride. Suddenly the intercom buzzed, "Now boarding- Gate C6 to Washington D.C."

Once again, cheers burst out from their friends. After about 20 minutes, everyone was seated and the plane was ready to take off.

"I hope I can sleep," Ana said. "Plane rides are so boring, and the only thing I can do is sleep."

"Why not read a book?" Sawyer suggested.

"Reading on moving vehicles makes me feel sick," Ana said. "And you're the one sitting next to me so if I were you; I wouldn't want me to be sick."

"That's a good point," Sawyer agreed.

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Sayid stared out the window as the plane began to move.

"What are you doing?" Shannon asked him.

"I like to watch the takeoff," Sayid explained, not taking his eyes off of the window. "It's very fascinating to watch the ground get smaller and smaller."

Shannon never noticed this and watched the takeoff with Sayid. "That is cool," Shannon noted when they were flying steadily. "I can't remember the last time I was in a plane."

"Neither can I," Sayid stated.

At that time, a flight attendant came by and asked them what kind of a drink they wanted. "Do you have coffee?" Shannon asked the flight attendant.

"Yes, but that costs extra," the flight attendant informed her.

"Oh," Shannon said. "Never mind, then. Um, can I have-?"

"I'll buy it for you," Sayid offered.

"No, really, Sayid, it's fine," Shannon said. Sayid ignored her and handed the flight attendant money.

"Just water for me, please," Sayid asked.

"Thank you, Sayid," Shannon said.

"It was nothing, really," Sayid said. "Just a drink."

"Yes, true, but it's the thought that counts," Shannon told him.

"Anything to make you happy," Sayid shrugged. Shannon beamed at his comment and leaned in to kiss him.

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About an hour into the flight, Charlie found himself with a sleeping Claire on his shoulder. "So much for keeping each other entertained," Charlie muttered; however, he did not wake her up.

The flight attendant came by and asked what kind of meal they wanted: chicken or lasagna. "Lasagna," Charlie answered.

"And what about her?" the flight attendant asked, nodding towards Claire.

"Oh, um," Charlie said. "She'll probably just sleep for a while anyway." The flight attendant shrugged and walked off.

Little did he know that about 20 minutes later Claire would wake up. "Oh-did I miss the food?"

"Yeah," Charlie said. "I thought you'd sleep through most of the flight anyway, sorry."

"That's fine," Claire yawned. "I probably would've done the same."

"And whatever happened to keeping each other entertained?" Charlie asked.

"I was tired!" Claire said defensively.

"I know, I know, I'm kidding," Charlie laughed. "Hey look what came with the meal-celery with peanut butter. Wanna share?"

Claire grinned. "Do I!"

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Juliet was drifting off to sleep when a familiar voice caught her attention. "Can we get an extra blanket here, please?"

"Sure thing," The flight attendant said.

Are you serious? Juliet thought to herself. The familiar voice was in the seat right in front of her. She peered around the corner and said "What are you doing here?"

Miles looked surprised to see her, but said "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to Washington D.C., that's what I'm doing."

"Why?" Juliet inquired.

"You sure do ask a lot of questions," Miles said, sipping his water.

"And you don't answer them," Juliet said. "Why?"

"Juliet," Miles said. "Why would I tell you when you told me that you were working for Ben?"

Juliet blushed and said, "I'm not- not anymore."

"Oh, yeah," Miles rolled his eyes. "I'm so going to believe that one. How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't know Miles, how stupid are you?" Juliet said, frustrated. Miles grimaced and took another drink of water.

"Is it just you?" Juliet said after a while.

Miles, his impatience growing, sighed and said, "No, Juliet, it's the whole gang. Naomi is sitting right here next to me, Dan and Charlotte are in the seats in front of us, and Frank is… ah, who cares, he's somewhere."

"Why are you going to D.C.?" Juliet interrogated.

"That's confidential," Miles said seriously. "But why are you going to D.C.? Don't you have some information to pass over to Ben, or some friends to spy on and betray?"

"No!" Juliet said. "I told you, I don't work for Ben anymore. I realized what a jerk he was and that I deserve real friends."

"Good for you," Miles said. "So don't you have some real friends to hang out with instead of pestering me?"

Juliet, angry, turned away and slumped back into her chair. "What's up?" Jack asked. Juliet smiled. That's Jack-always concerned for her. Juliet just nodded gloomily towards the seat in front of her. Jack, curious, unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over the seat. "What are YOU doing here?"

"Why does everyone keep ASKING that?" Miles said in the same tone of voice as Jack. Naomi looked up too. "Okay, skip the interrogation, all I have to tell you is that it's none of your business and that you wouldn't understand anyway. Just ask your girlfriend and she'll tell you everything we told her. Which wasn't much."

Jack sat back down. "What are they up to?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Sucks that we can't text on a plane," Juliet mumbled grumpily.

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"I'm so bored," Ana said for about the 500th time.

Sawyer sighed and put his book down. "I get it. Why don't you just sleep or listen to music or something?"

"I'm not tired and all of the music channels suck," Ana explained. "Man, I'm bored."

"Well, what do you want to do, Sweet Cheeks?" Sawyer asked. Ana grimaced and said nothing.

"If I knew what I wanted to do, then I wouldn't be so bored," Ana said. Sawyer reached behind her head and pulled the window shade down.

"Why don't you just try to get some sleep?" Sawyer suggested. He picked up a blanket and unfolded it. He spread it over them. "I will, too."

Ana realized that she truly had nothing better to do and scooted closer to Sawyer under the blanket. She fell asleep 10 minutes later with Sawyer's arm around her.

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I loved the Sana bit at the end. Falling asleep in each others' arms, it's so cliché.


	43. Everyone Against Sawyer

Keep the reviews coming! I kind of forgot about my promise to make the chapters longer but I won't this time! And if I do then you all have permission to yell at me!

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"YES! I'M FREE!" Ana fell, hands and knees, to the floor of the airport.

Sawyer merely raised his eyebrows in confusion. "What did you do to her?" Kate laughed.

"What? Me?" Sawyer said, shocked. "I didn't do anything!"

"You were sitting next to her, and she's so thankful to get out of there," Jack pointed out.

"It wasn't his fault," Ana said, standing up. "That was the most boring plane ride ever. I never realized how much I depended on music to keep me busy."

"Sawyer, how could you?" Claire said jokingly. "You didn't keep her entertained!"

"Why is everything my fault?!" Sawyer said angrily. "I at least got her to sleep for two hours."

"She said she liked music," Sayid said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You could've sung to her."

"Oh no, I'm not that desperate," Ana said.

"Okay, okay, I see how it is," Sawyer said. "It's everyone against Sawyer. I-,"

"What are they doing here?" Charlie interrupted, staring over at Miles, Dan, Naomi, Charlotte, and Frank.

"What does it look like they're doing? They're going to Washington D.C., that's what they're doing," Juliet said, quoting Miles' response to her asking that question.

"You've GOT to be kidding me," Shannon said doubtfully.

"I told you something bad was going to happen!" Claire told Charlie. They glanced over at them again. Naomi had her cell phone pressed to her ear and a serious expression on her face. Dan and Frank were discussing a map that they were holding. Charlotte was digging through her bag and Miles was standing impatiently beside her.

After a shout from the teacher to hurry up, they had to move on. "They better not ruin this field trip," Sayid said.

"They're not going to be the ones to ruin this field trip," Juliet whispered quietly. Jack grimaced and put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

"You're right," Jack whispered. "No one will ruin it."

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"Ugh, my feet hurt already," Shannon complained when they got back to the hotel that night.

"Then I guess you'll hate tomorrow," Kate said. "I think it's all museums, you know, with the Declaration of Independence and all that stuff."

"Joy," Claire said sarcastically. "At least we'll be indoors."

"Oh, yeah," Kate said thankfully. "It was so windy today; my hair is all messed up." She pulled out a brush and went into the bathroom.

Juliet, for one, liked the day. She saw no sign of any of her former classmates and for that she was grateful. "Cheer up, it could be worse!"

"What's got you all optimistic?" Ana asked.

"How did you get in here?" Shannon questioned.

"Our rooms are connected," Ana explained, nodding towards a door. "They probably don't even know I'm in here."

"What are you doing in here?" Claire said.

"To ask what got Juliet all optimistic," Ana shrugged. She looked at Juliet.

"Oh, um," Juliet stuttered. She decided to not get them all worked up about Ben being here. "I'm just excited that we're finally here, is all."

"Or are you excited that Jack had his arm around you ever since we got off the plane?" Shannon said.

"Well, there's that too," Juliet said.

"Ooh, so you do like Jack!" Claire said excitedly.

Juliet shrugged. "It's not like you would've believed me if I said I didn't."

"You're right!" Ana told her. "We should all think like that."

"Ah, yeah," Kate nodded. "Too bad we don't."

"Especially you," Claire said. "You won't admit that you like Boone, but we all know that you do."

"We DO?!" Shannon said. "Kate!"

"I- no - Claire, - It's not true!" Kate stammered.

"Oh my god, Kate, I think I might puke," Shannon looked disgusted. "He's my brother, Kate, my brother!"

"Well it's not like he hasn't had a million girlfriends already this year!" Kate defended.

"Oh, so now you're his girlfriend?" Shannon said.

"No!" Kate yelled. "You guys take everything the wrong way. Can we please talk about someone else's life?"

"Yeah, sure," Claire sighed. "Shannon, how's your love life coming along?"

"Couldn't be better, actually," Shannon smiled.

"Specify, please," Ana said. "Give us all the details."

Shannon told them all what happened on the plane. "I knew it was Sayid!" Kate exclaimed triumphantly. "Finally, Shannon, are you guys together?"

"I wish," Shannon said truthfully.

"Hey, the guys want to play poker down in the lobby," Ana told them. "You coming?"

They nodded and got up. The guys were gathered around a table dealing out chips to everyone. "I think Jack should start out with fewer chips," Sawyer suggested.

"That's unfair!" Jack protested.

"No, Jack, you're lucky we're even letting you play," Kate told him.

"Well, fine," Jack gave up. "But I'll still win." And that he did.

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The girls groaned when they heard the wake-up call at 6 o' clock in the morning. "Please tell me that's the wrong number," Claire moaned.

"Guys, get up! We have a long day ahead of us!" Kate threw pillows at them.

"No!" Juliet refused. "I really don't want to leave."

"What happened to 'I'm just glad we're finally here'?" Kate asked her.

"It died," Juliet answered. "And why are you so hyper all of a sudden?"

"I'm not, I'm as tired as all of you," Kate told her. "I just want to get the good breakfast stuff before everyone else does."

"Good point," Claire agreed and hurried out of bed. They rushed downstairs to find the guys saving them seats at their table.

"How was your night?" Jack asked them all.

The answers were a mixture of 'horrible', 'terrible', 'awful', and 'suckish.'

"I see," Jack laughed. He felt Juliet tap him on the shoulder and he looked over at her. She nodded her head towards the door of the building. Jack glanced over there.

"Oh, Juliet," he whispered. Juliet was visibly shaking in her seat. Jack grabbed her hand and squeezed it in an 'it's-all-gonna-be-okay' type of way.

"What the heck are they doing here?" Charlie said loudly.

"Charlie! Shh!" Juliet hushed him. It was too late. Alex and Karl heard and looked over at them. Alex stared at Charlie as if classifying who he was. Karl turned to her and said something. Alex's mouth dropped open. They began a very serious conversation.

"Nice one, Charlie," Jack said.

"Yeah, thanks a lot, man," Juliet grumbled.

"What did I do?" Charlie asked, clearly confused.

"Seriously, though, Juliet," Sawyer said. "What are they doing here?"

"Why do you immediately ask me?" Juliet said angrily.

"Because you're the one who would most likely have an answer," Ana explained. "I'm not saying that you do, but you would most likely have an answer."

"They're here for the same reason we are," Juliet told them. "A D.C. trip."

"Oh, great, first Miles and now Ben?" Ana questioned doubtfully.

"Ooh, that is not a good combination," Juliet almost yelled. "I never thought of that!"

"Listen," Jack said comfortingly. "Do you know how likely it is that we're going to meet up with them both at the same time? Juliet, you're going to be fine. And we'll all be with you. Right?" He said, staring around at everyone else, who said 'yeah' without care.

"Oh, super, now they're leaving," Juliet groaned. "Could this day get ANY worse?"

"Yeah, probably, since it's only the beginning of the day," Shannon shrugged. Jack glared at her.

"Wait, first you were mad they were here, and now you're mad that they're leaving?" Charlie questioned.

"They're going to tell Ben that I'm here," Juliet murmured. "And in his mind, I'm not supposed to be here."

Before anyone could say anything else, the teachers ordered them out to the buses. "Here we go," Juliet breathed. Jack took her hand again and she managed a smile, which made Jack happy.

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Okay so I didn't make it much longer. Sue me. Next chapter…Juliet's worst nightmare.


	44. End Up In A Knife Fight

Alright I've been kind of busy for the last few days- Spring Break, ya know?

And there's something I'm going to have to forewarn you about. During the summer, I go on a month-long vacation to Europe (I live in the States.) And I really doubt I can work on my fanfic there. What I can do is bring a notebook and write down what's going to happen and just copy it onto here when I get back. I'll probably be done with this fic by then, but I don't know about the summer one.

Anyhow, Juliet's worst nightmare!

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The tour guide was talking about famous people back in the time of the Declaration of Independence. "Another famous philosopher was John Locke," the tour guide said. Everyone in the grade burst out laughing. "What?"

"My name is John Locke," John explained.

"Oh," The tour guide said. "Well isn't that ironic? I'm sure you know all about him, then, do you?"

"Just a little," John said.

"Well then I better continue on," the tour guide said.

"Come on, come on!" Kate whispered. "I want to see the Declaration of Independence already!"

"It's a 200 year old piece of paper, so what?" Sawyer said. "My foster mom probably has 50 of those in her desk right now."

"Sawyer, it's not just a two-hundred year old paper!" Kate argued. "It's a historical piece of our country's formation! It proved our separation from England, back then and now! It shows our independence and freedom of our country!"

"Okay, okay, I GET it," Sawyer shook his head. "Chill out, we're going in anyway."

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The group headed for a large French restaurant in town for lunch. A sign in front said CLOSED FOR LUNCH-RESERVED SEATING. "They wouldn't close the entire restaurant just because we're here," Sayid observed.

"Oh, no, there are two other school we have to fit in here, they're just not here yet," an employee told him.

"TWO other schools?" Juliet almost shouted.

"Juliet, calm down," Jack whispered. "We're going to be on a complete opposite side of the building as the other two schools. They probably won't even know we're here."

Juliet tried her best to think that that will happen and not what she really expected was going to happen. Jack spotted her uneasiness and said, "Let's just go sit down in the back where it's harder to see."

"Thanks for this, you guys," Juliet said. "It really means a lot."

After they ordered their meals, they sat talking for a bit. Suddenly, Kate interrupted. "Juliet," she said, staring at the front door of the restaurant.

"And there they are," Juliet said. "They can sooo see us."

Jack picked up his napkin and tried to unfold it so the silverware would fall out onto the table. Instead, the silverware came out and landed on the floor. "Ooh, Juliet, could you get that for me?"

Juliet smiled and immediately stepped out of her chair. She took her time gathering up the utensils and only came up when the coast was clear. "Thanks, Jack."

"Now they didn't see you and you have nothing to worry about," Kate said. "That was really smart, Jack."

"Yeah, except if one of them has to come and use the bathroom," Juliet said, nodding towards the bathrooms which were on their side of the restaurant.

"Quit being so pessimistic, Juliet, it's all going to be fine," Jack promised.

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Alex sat down next to Karl and Ben. "We're missing a set of silverware," Ben noted. "I'll go get one from another table."

"No, Ben, I'll go, you can stay here," Alex said urgently. She didn't think he noticed that the other school was here and she wanted to keep it that way. He wasn't happy when Alex told him that Juliet was with them.

She got up and searched around for an empty table from which she could swipe a napkin full of silverware. There was none. Not on this side of the restaurant, at least. She sighed and made her way over to the other side of the building.

Alex didn't see an empty table. One table was full except for one seat. She walked over there, completely aware of Juliet and her friends' voices behind her. "Are you using this?" she asked the people sitting there.

"Oh, no, go ahead and have it," one boy said politely.

"Thanks," Alex replied. She turned to walk back to her table, when suddenly she remembered something that happened when Alex told Ben about Juliet. She turned back around and went to Juliet's table.

"Juliet!" Alex hollered. Juliet nervously looked over at her. "Goodwin says hi."

"Goodwin's here?" Juliet blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Yeah, he's back at our table, talking to Karl and Harper," Alex was pleased at Juliet's reaction, which was anger.

"Okay, tell him I said hi," she said. Alex once again turned back in the direction of her table.

"What took you?" Karl asked her.

"I had to use the bathroom too," Alex lied. When Ben looked the other way, Alex whispered to Goodwin, "She said hi."

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"See?" Kate said. "Nothing happened at all."

"Yeah, until she tells Ben that I'm here," Juliet snapped.

"What if she doesn't?" Kate said.

"What if she does?" Juliet countered.

"Uh, guys, I think we have something more to worry about," Charlie interrupted. They looked to where he was pointing.

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding!" Juliet practically yelled. "No WAY!"

"If they come in here…" Sawyer growled without finishing his sentence.

"..Then we'll probably end up in a knife fight," Ana finished for him.

"Yeah, that's probably the cleanest outcome," Juliet moaned. "I hate life."

"Look, they don't even know we're in here, just let them mind their own business," Jack said. "They'll be gone in a moment, I bet."

Jack didn't believe what he was saying, but he hoped everyone else would. Naomi and Charlotte were looking at a map while Miles stood next to them and read some other piece of paper. Dan had some device in his hands and was telling Frank something. Frank looked completely lost and confused in Dan's words. It didn't seem as if they knew they were in there.

"Claire!"

"Who is shouting my name?" Claire asked and turned around. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"We're on a D.C. trip," Thomas explained. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, now that you left," Claire said angrily. "What do you want?"

"I just want to see how you are, Claire, I miss you," Thomas said, taking her hand.

Claire shook her hand out of his. "Go away, Thomas, no one wants you here."

"Claire, what's wrong, I thought we had something," Thomas said.

Claire looked at him disgustedly. "There is no we anymore. Does that sound familiar to you?"

Thomas grinned. "You're just mad about that little fight we had before I left."

"Do you have, like, amnesia or something?" Claire said. "You straight out broke up with me; there was no fight!"

"Its okay, Claire, I forgive you," Thomas smiled.

"You forgive me?" Claire exclaimed doubtfully. "You should be on your knees asking me to forgive you. But that's so not gonna happen, because I found someone who won't leave because he's a coward, and he cares for me more than anything."

Thomas's face fell. "What?"

Charlie stood up. "You heard her. You were too scared to keep a relationship with her, so you ended it. Now you show up months later, expecting everything to be all perfect? You're wrong."

"You trying to start a fight?" Thomas said angrily. "You're trying to steal my girl!"

"Can we keep it down, please?" Juliet said with desperation in her voice.

"Steal?" Claire said doubtfully. "I chose Charlie because he was there. He was there from the moment you left, and he's always been here for me. And I doubt he'll ever leave," she added quietly, smiling at Charlie. "All he's done since I've met him is look after me and make sure I'm happy. What have you done?"

"Thomas, what's taking you so long?" someone asked.

"Danny?" Ana said disbelievingly.

"Ana!" Danny shouted. He ran towards her and gave her a long hug and kiss.

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Ha, I had to add the return of the exes in there. That's going to be next chapter. I think it will bring out true feelings. Like when Claire was talking about Charlie. I hope I can bring back someone for everyone, the final one is the hardest to overcome: Goodwin.


	45. Baby

I like writing the return of the exes.

Like I said before, nothing goes well in high school relationships.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost. So what else is new?

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A wave of fury swept over Sawyer. "Get your hands off of her!" he yelled, pulling Danny away from Ana.

"What do you think you're doing, man?" Danny said angrily.

"What do I think I'm doing? I'm protecting my girlfriend from you!" Sawyer shouted back. "What do you think you're doing, coming over here and kissing her?"

"Sawyer, please, let me-," Ana pleaded.

"Ana, baby, what is going on here?" Danny asked. "Why does this punk think that you're his girlfriend when really, you're mine?"

"Sawyer," Ana ignored him. "This is Danny; we used to go out, last year."

"What do you mean, used to?" Danny growled. "I don't recall me ever breaking up with you, or you breaking up with me."

"That's true," Ana said. "But what I do recall is me telling you I was moving, and you suddenly never wanted anything to do with me anymore, so I assumed we were over."

"Well you assumed wrong," Danny said. "I still have feelings for you."

"I can't say the same," Ana said. "You want me to tell you exactly what I think of you? Well I think you're a jerk for not being with me when I needed you. I think you're pathetic for only wanting to get back together with me once you see me face-to-face. You never called or wrote. I also think that Sawyer is a much sweeter, kinder, more considerate, and cuter boyfriend than you ever were, are, or will be. So to sum it up, the only one that can call me 'baby' is Sawyer."

All of her friends 'ooh-ed.' "You sure told him, baby," Sawyer said.

"Don't ever call me that again or I'll kill you," Ana said threateningly.

"Ana, do you remember when you would always threaten me like that?" Danny said; completely oblivious to everything that just happened.

"Yes," Ana told him. "The only difference is that now, I mean it."

"What are you trying to say here?" Danny asked.

"Are you some kind of moron?" Sawyer questioned. "Consider yourself dumped."

"Now that we have that settled, can we please come back to my problem?" Thomas interrupted.

"The only problem is that you're still here," Charlie sighed.

"How can you possibly think that you still have a chance?" Claire scoffed. "You make me sick. Get out of here."

"Yes, let's be quiet," Juliet piped up. "Because you totally just made a scene. Guys, they heard you."

"Sorry, Juliet," they-excluding Danny and Thomas-whispered.

"I still have a question," Danny announced. Ana sighed but listened anyway. "What happened to your hair?"

Everyone burst out laughing and Ana blushed. "It was a dare. Now that that's over with, go. Now. Before I make you."

Danny and Thomas turned gloomily. Before they were completely gone, however, two girls walked up to meet them.

"What is going on over here?" one of them asked. "It sounds like a fight or something."

"Oh, no," Sawyer groaned, causing his friends to look at him curiously.

The girl who just spoke looked over too. "Oh my god, Sawyer, is that really you?"

"No," Sawyer said immediately.

The girl walked over to him and hugged him. "I never thought I'd see you again!"

Ana reached between the two and pushed them apart. "May I help you?"

"Excuse me," the girl said rudely. "But do you have any business separating a girl from her boyfriend?"

"Yeah, Cassidy, about that-," Sawyer began awkwardly.

"I think you have the wrong guy," Ana finished for him. "Because he's mine."

"No, Ana, she has the right guy," Sawyer said. "Cassidy, I-,"

"'Yours?'" Cassidy interrupted. "I've been dating Sawyer here for about a year and a half now, so, therefore, he's not yours."

Ana paused in disbelief. A year and a half? That couldn't be true… "Care to explain?" Ana shakily said to Sawyer.

"Um," Sawyer stammered. "Uh, well, Cassidy, I realize now that I never officially broke up with you."

"All that happened was you told me you had to move," Cassidy said. "You never mentioned anything about ending our relationship."

"What?" Ana snapped. "I can't believe you would do that!"

"Hey, hey I'm not finished yet!" Sawyer said hurriedly.

"Well, I am," Ana said and turned on her heels and left.

"I'm glad she's gone," Cassidy said.

"I'm not!" Sawyer said. "Cass, I know I never broke up with you, but I never knew how. I never called you or answered your calls because I thought you would ask me what was wrong, and I would have to tell you that we were over. But then I met Ana and I couldn't help myself. I haven't ever doubted myself when it comes to Ana. When I'm with her it feels so right, Cassidy, I'm sorry, but now I know that she's the one for me."

The group 'aww-ed' and Cassidy smiled sadly. "I totally understand. You better chase after her, Cowboy; I doubt she's happy with you."

"You're right," Sawyer said. "I have to fix this."

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Ana left the conversation without hearing another word. She made her way to the back of the restaurant and sat against a window.

Ana had never felt such an odd mixture of emotions: Sadness, anger, and love. She had completely forgotten that Ben's school was there.

They saw her sit against the window moodily. "I wonder what's wrong," Goodwin noted.

"It doesn't matter," Harper said quickly. "It's really none of our business."

"I'm going to go see what's up," Goodwin said, ignoring Harper. He got out of his chair and walked over to Ana. He sat down next to her.

"Is something wrong?" Goodwin asked kindly.

"Yeah," Ana said. "I kind of just realized that my boyfriend was dating another girl. What he says is he never 'officially' broke up with her."

"Oh, man, I'm really sorry," Goodwin said genuinely. Ana noticed the sincerity in his voice and smiled. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Probably not," Ana said shakily. "I-I just don't know what to do."

"Hey, it'll all be okay," Goodwin assured. "You just have to fight your way through it, okay? You seem like a strong girl, I'm sure you can do it. And if you ever feel scared or anything, you can come see me. I'll be there."

"W-why are you helping me?" Ana asked, on the verge of tears. "Our schools are like r-rivals."

"Rivals on the court, maybe," Goodwin said. "But here, I'm there for you."

Ana bit her lip. She was glad that Goodwin was there to talk to her, but his words made her closer to crying. Goodwin noticed this and put his arm around her as the tears flowed from her eyes.

Sawyer rounded the corner. "Ana?"

"I don't want to talk," Ana said immediately.

Sawyer was surprised. He had never seen Ana so shook up. He never thought such a tough girl like her could break down like that. He then noticed Goodwin's arm around her shoulders. "Who is this?"

"Sawyer, do you not understand that I don't want to talk?" Ana shouted. "Leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with you!"

"Listen, man, I really think that she just needs some time alone," Goodwin said calmly.

"Alone? Then why don't you leave?" Sawyer said angrily. "She doesn't even know you; I doubt she wants you here!"

"Yeah, well here's a surprise, James," Ana said. "I do want him here."

Sawyer felt as though he was punched in the stomach. He barely saw Ana turn and leave again. He barely saw Goodwin following after her. He barely remembered walking back to his table and putting his head down.

"Sawyer?" Kate whispered.

"Leave me alone," Sawyer said, his voice muffled.

"Sawyer, what's going on?" Kate asked.

"Ana's being comforted by some dude from the other school," Sawyer said.

"Uh oh," Juliet mumbled. "Who?"

"That guy…Goodwin."

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I ruined my precious Sana.


	46. Overreacting

No need to flip, geez, Sana is temporarily unavailable at the moment please leave a message after the beep. BEEP

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Juliet felt a slight surge of jealousy but shook it away. "Well, he's not bad, he's really a nice guy, so she'll be fine," Juliet assured him.

"He is so bad!" Sawyer protested. "He-but-Ana…"

"Goodwin will take care of her," Juliet said. "I'm sure that she'll forgive you."

"I doubt it," Sawyer grumbled. "I hate my life!"

"I'm really sorry," Cassidy said sincerely. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Probably not," Sawyer answered. "Go! Just go!"

"No need to be a jerk, Sawyer," Kate said.

"Why not be a jerk?" Sawyer said. "I have nothing to live for anymore!"

"Stop overreacting," Shannon rolled her eyes. "Deal with it."

"'Overreacting?'" Sawyer said. "I am NOT overreacting! She was the world to me! And now she's gone!"

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"Ana?" Goodwin said uncertainly.

"I'm okay," Ana said.

"Listen, I understand how you probably don't want to go back to your school," Goodwin began uneasily. "So I think our schools have the same schedule if you want to hang with us for today."

Ana smiled and wiped her eyes. "That would be great, actually."

"Okay," Goodwin said. "If you want, you can eat with us for the little time we have left. I know I didn't get to eat much so I don't know if you did or not."

"Thanks, I'm starving," Ana admitted and followed Goodwin to his table.

She felt a bit awkward about suddenly arriving at her rival school's table, but her plan was to stick with Goodwin till she was comfortable.

Ana wasn't the only one who felt awkward. She noticed the other people glancing at her, bewildered, and looking back at Goodwin, hoping for an explanation. Ana hung back and let Goodwin tell them why she was there.

"I'm really sorry about that, Ana-Lucia," Alex told her.

"Yeah, really," A boy named Danny Pickett said. "You want me to take care of him for you?"

Ana laughed for the first time in a while. "Nope, but if I change my mind, I'll come find you."

The rest of the day was spent in very awkward silences. Ana was forced to remain in her group, but she strayed away from them occasionally and stayed as far away from them as possible. When it came the time to return to the hotel, Ana said bye to everyone and grudgingly headed back to her own room.

For about an hour Ana sat on her bed looking out the window and sketching out the city. She was putting the shading on a building when she heard Libby's voice behind her.

"So you missed the huge love speech, huh?"

"What?" Ana said, completely confused.

"Sawyer," Libby answered simply. "Right after you left he went rambling on to Cassidy about how much he needed you."

"He did?" Ana said quietly.

"Yeah," Libby told her. "You should've heard him. He first explained to Cassidy that the only reason he never dumped her was because he never knew how or what to say. Then he said that he'd never had doubts with you, you made him feel 'right,' and that you were the one for him."

"He said that?" Ana whispered.

"Yep," Libby said calmly. "If I were you, I'd forgive him. But I'm not you, so it's not my decision." When Ana didn't say anything she carried on. "And that doesn't even include the things he said when he came back from trying to talk to you. He was all like 'I hate my life' and 'I have nothing to live for anymore.' Then Shannon told him he was overreacting and he was like 'I am NOT overreacting!' and he began explaining how you were the world to him."

Ana still remained silent. She was pondering everything Libby had told her. "I trusted him."

"I know you did," Libby responded. "And I understand how you're mad. I also understand how you don't want to forgive him right away."

"Um…" Ana was very confused. She didn't know what to think. "How 'bout this… I won't forgive him, but I'll accept him back as a friend, and nothing more."

"It's your choice," Libby shrugged. "I'm going into the other room. I'll be back later."

Libby left Ana to her thoughts and drawing. "How's she doing?" Kate asked Libby when she walked in.

"Better," Libby answered. "I talked to her. She just told me that she's accepting him as a friend, but that's it."

"It's a start," Shannon shrugged. "But they totally have to get back together soon."

"Definitely," Claire agreed. "But what are the odds, you know? Thomas, that Danny guy, and Cassidy all being in that same school, and at that same time we were?"

"I can't believe one girl came between the two," Libby said. "They seemed inseparable."

"I'm surprised Ana just didn't hit 'em both in the face and get on with her life as if it never happened," Kate said.

"I bet Sawyer wishes that would've happened," Juliet laughed. "Hey, be right back guys, I'm gonna go get a soda from the vending machine in the hall."

Juliet walked out of the room and started down the hall. She was about to turn the corner when she heard two voices that were two voices she did not want to hear.

"What were you thinking?!" Ben said accusingly.

"C'mon, Ben, she was so depressed," Goodwin said. "She was so much happier by the time she left as opposed to when I first brought her to the table."

"Ana-Lucia is the least trusting person you'll ever meet, Goodwin," Ben told him. "One false move and you're gone."

"Well, yeah, but-," Goodwin stuttered.

"You seem to care about her very much," Ben interrupted. "I suggest thinking twice about what you say and do around her."

Once Juliet heard two sets of footsteps she assumed it was safe and she wouldn't be spotted. What she didn't know was that when she did turn the corner she would end up almost running straight into Goodwin.

Juliet's first thought was that she and Goodwin hadn't been so close for a very long time. Her second thought was wondering what Goodwin was thinking.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Juliet said finally.

"That's fine," Goodwin replied awkwardly.

"So what brings you down here?" Juliet asked him.

"Getting a soda, you too?" Goodwin answered.

"Uh, yeah," Juliet said.

"How's your friend Ana-Lucia coming along?" Goodwin said.

"She's definitely better, thanks to you," Juliet said.

"More importantly, how are you doing?" Goodwin said.

"I'm doing quite well, and you?" Juliet responded.

"I'm great," Goodwin told her. "Missing you back at school, though."

Juliet blushed and realized that even though they had both gotten their drinks; her feet were glued to the spot. "I-I miss you too," Juliet said truthfully. "But everyone is helping me feel welcome, especially Jack."

"Oh," Goodwin said, sounding slightly disheartened.

"But that doesn't mean I don't miss all of you extremely," Juliet said, too quickly to stop herself.

Goodwin looked somewhat happier. They stood in silence for a couple of minutes just looking into each others' eyes. "I should get back," Juliet said finally. "My roommates are probably wondering where I am."

"Oh-oh, right," Goodwin said sadly. "Well…bye."

"Bye," Juliet replied uneasily. She reached over and gave him a hug that lasted way longer than she expected.

They finally broke apart and Goodwin turned around to leave. "Wait."

Goodwin turned back around. Juliet had no possible idea of why she said that, as she didn't know what to say to him. All she knew was that she didn't want him to leave quite yet.

Goodwin was still standing there, expecting her to say something. Juliet thought quickly and couldn't think of anything to say. So, instead of speaking, she kissed him instead.

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I really strangely LOVE that pairing suddenly. But I got to stick with Jacket. Yeah, just keep telling yourself that, Kristen.


	47. Not At All

Juliet broke the kiss. "I'm sorry," Juliet said. "I shouldn't have- I'm sorry, I have to go." She took off running down the hall.

"Juliet!" Goodwin called.

Juliet was totally aware that Goodwin was calling after her, but she was busy mentally kicking herself. What was she doing, messing around with Goodwin anyway? Hadn't she just sorted out her feelings and decided on Jack?

…Jack.

What was she going to do about Jack? One thing she absolutely decided upon was that she was not going to end up like Sawyer and Ana, no; she liked Jack and didn't want to ruin that.

The big question was should or shouldn't she tell Jack about what just happened. Telling him would mean jeopardizing their relationship and that was one thing that Juliet was not willing to jeopardize.

On the other hand, not telling Jack would cause Juliet to feel guilty. She was never good about keeping secrets.

Juliet was frustrated. Hadn't she just sorted this out, what, three weeks ago? It was hard enough then and now Goodwin probably thought that they were still together.

…Which they weren't.

Juliet suddenly realized that she arrived in her dorm. "What took you?" Shannon asked curiously.

Juliet was not prepared for this question. "I, uh, dropped all my coins and had to pick them up." She thought it best not to tell the truth, they might accidentally tell Jack.

"I'm tired," Claire yawned. "Do you think we should be getting to bed soon?"

"Yeah, probably," Libby agreed. "I'll get back to my dorm. See you all in the morning."

Libby walked through the door leading to her room. They all said good-night and got ready for bed.

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"Big tour of the White House today," Kate remembered at breakfast. "That'll be exciting."

"Definitely," Boone agreed. "I heard that they only let school trips in there nowadays."

"Then I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky," Sayid said.

"Where's Ana?" Sawyer asked randomly.

Libby pointed to the right and Sawyer looked over. Ana was eating and laughing with Goodwin, Alex, Karl, and Pickett.

"I talked to her last night," Libby said. Sawyer took his attention onto Libby and listened intently. "She says that she can accept you back as a friend but nothing more."

Sawyer fell back in his chair and groaned. "How did this happen?"

No one answered him. They were hurried out onto the buses. The teacher explained that before the tour began, a soldier would be talking with them about the war in Iraq.

"Exciting," Shannon said sarcastically. "Well at least the shopping trip is tomorrow. I could use a break."

They pulled up in front of the White House to see four uniformed soldiers lounging around on benches. At the sight of the bus they all stood up and prepared to answer questions and talk.

They began with introducing themselves and what they do. They explained the status of everything and what they had to do to help. At the end they decided to answer questions.

"Hey," one of the soldiers, Major Wilson, said suddenly. "You're Jarrah's kid, aren't you?" he asked Sayid.

Sayid looked surprised and being directly asked that but he said, "Yes, sir."

"Yeah," Major Wilson said. "I talked to him recently. He cares a lot 'bout you, you should be proud of him."

"I am, sir."

"Nice guy," Major Wilson went on. "I'll tell the president you were here; he'd be interested to know that."

They finished up with the questions and entered the White House. "What was that about?" Shannon asked him. "I didn't know you're dad was in the war."

"He is," Sayid replied. They waited for him to say more but he didn't.

"What does he do?" Jack said.

"He leads a group of people," Sayid responded.

"Leads them to what?" Sawyer asked.

"Battle."

Sayid didn't seem like he wanted to push the subject so they focused on the tour. They got to see the president's office and bedroom. Desmond swears he saw the president himself walking around a corner.

They returned to the hotel tired and excited. The trip was now about half way done. The next morning they were allowed to sleep in for an extra half hour because they didn't have any tours or anything.

The next morning the headed out to a mall where they could browse freely as long as they were back at the entrance at 1:00 for lunch.

Everyone went their separate ways for a while. They agreed to meet at 11:00 to talk.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sawyer grumbled.

"Sawyer, don't let this whole thing ruin the field trip," Jack said tiredly.

"It's not ruining the field trip!" Sawyer protested. "It's ruining my life."

Jack rolled his eyes and practically dragged Sawyer along with them.

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"So where do you want to go?" Shannon asked everyone as a whole.

"To get a map?" Ana said, more of a question than anything. She was staring around the large place in awe. Shannon walked over to a customer service desk and got a handful of fold-up maps.

"There. Now what?" Shannon said impatiently.

"I think we should go to see the jewelry," Claire suggested. They all agreed to this and headed to the third floor.

"Whoa, talk about expensive," Ana said in shock.

"I think I'm going to get these earrings," Shannon considered. They had small ruby hearts encased in silver and were dangling from a string.

"Yeah, they look good," Kate commented.

"I like this," Ana said. She was peering through a glass case at a necklace with light blue jewels alternating with silver ones.

"That's nice, Ana," Libby said. But she wasn't really focusing on the necklace. Ana's comment put an idea in her head.

"Look!" Kate exclaimed suddenly, gazing out the window. They all gathered around and looked down at the streets where Kate was pointing. Standing there in a group of five was Dan, Charlotte, Frank, Miles, and Naomi.

"Why are they here?" Ana asked to no one in particular. Nobody answered her. They continued looking out the window. Apparently, everyone was gathered around Dan who had a small object in his hand. Suddenly, the object flew out of his hands. It continued going up until they could see it eye-level on the third floor. The object fell with a loud clattering sound and smashed into pieces.

Dan stomped his foot on the ground in frustration. Frank and Miles were standing there laughing their heads off, and Naomi and Charlotte were picking up the pieces.

"Can we please just move on?" Libby suggested.

"Where?" Claire asked.

"How 'bout electronics?" Kate said. "I could use some CDs or some iTunes gift cards."

They followed Kate to the electronics store on the second floor. They walked slowly around, looking at the different products.

"Ooh, a Jimmy Eat World CD," Kate said and picked it up. "It has The Middle and Bleed American!"

"Why don't you just go to the Apple store and get an iTunes gift card?" Shannon said.

"Don't they have those here?" Kate inquired.

"Yeah, I think I saw some Apple stuff up by the entrance," Claire told them and led them to the front of the store. They stopped in their tracks at what they saw.

"How did that happen?" Miles asked, still with a wide grin on his face.

"I-I don't know," Dan answered quietly. "But what I do know is that it wasn't supposed to happen, and that I need t-," he paused and looked the girls in the eye, astonished.

All of his friends were puzzled by his sudden hesitation and turned to see what he was looking at.

"What are you doing here?" Juliet and Miles asked at the same time, shooting each other a hatred glare.

"We-," Dan began. Miles instinctively threw his hand over Dan's mouth without looking away.

"Just looking around," Naomi answered for them.

"What did Dan have to say?" Ana questioned.

"I-just-what Naomi said," Dan stammered.

"Why are you here, of all places?" Kate interrogated. "How did you come to be in Washington D.C.?"

"Series of events," Miles said coolly. "And here we are. And here you are, on a week-long field trip, but now it's only 3 days, not counting today. But you should be happy, I mean, you only had to pay 850 to come on this field trip."

"How do you know that?" Juliet said.

Miles chuckled. "We know more than you think we do, Juliet, in fact, we probably know things that don't concern us one bit, and yet we know them anyway."

Juliet did not like the way he said that. Not at all.

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**Yeah I know this took me a while to update. Patience is a virtue. Whatever that means.**


	48. Don't 'Faraday' Me!

I need to work in those Freighter people as main characters in this fic but I don't know how. They're just so awesome. 'Cept Frank. I hate Frank.

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"Faraday, get your stuff and let's get out of here," Miles ordered. Dan ran off.

"What 'stuff' is he getting?" Sayid asked.

"Couldn't tell you if I tried," Miles shrugged. "I don't understand it."

Before anyone else could say anything, Naomi's phone went off. Kate saw the caller ID: Widmore.

"Hello?" Naomi answered. "…Yeah, about that, there was a problem in the-," She stopped and glanced over at everyone. "-there was a problem…No, Dan's fixing it as we speak…Yes, of course. Bye." She hung up.

"What is it?" Miles whispered urgently. Naomi just shook her head.

Dan returned. "Let's go," Charlotte said. They left without another word.

The girls left the shop a bit later too. Walking through the halls, they noticed a huge crowd of people gathered around one place.

"What do you think that's about?" Libby asked. No one answered her. They got closer and Shannon, the tallest, tried to look over the people's heads.

She laughed. "It's Charlie. They want his autograph or something."

They looked around the hall. If Charlie was here, the other boys must be close by. Sure enough, they were down the hall a bit laughing at Charlie too. All of them except for Sawyer, that is, who was slouching against the wall moodily. They glanced at Ana, who had some sadness in her eyes when she saw that.

They headed over to where the boys stood. "How'd this happen?" Kate asked.

"We were in the music store," Jack explained. "And this group of girls was looking at a Drive Shaft CD. Apparently the CD had a picture of the band on it, so when one of the girls looked up, she recognized Charlie right away. And of course she started screaming it really loud so it got everyone else's attention, and here we are."

"There's a music store?" Juliet questioned. "Great. We could've gone to get your CD, Kate, without having to run into Miles."

"What?" Jack said concernedly. "They're here?"

"Yeah," Juliet told him. "They were acting really suspicious, like they didn't want us to know anything about why they were here, yet at the same time, they knew everything about why we were here. Especially when Naomi answered her phone, she-,"

"Did anyone else see her caller ID?" Kate interrupted.

"No!" Shannon exclaimed. "What did it say?"

"It-it said," Kate said. "Widmore."

"Widmore?" Jack questioned. "You mean….you mean like Penny?"

"That's how it was spelled," Kate shrugged. "But why would Penny be calling Naomi?"

"Let's just forget about it, it doesn't really concern us," Claire said. "How about we just go look at the clothes down the hall there?"

Kate and Ana groaned. "Do we have to?" Ana said.

"No, you get to," Shannon told her.

"I'll catch up, I'm going to use the bathroom real quick," Libby said. The girls began walking down the hall and Libby watched them go. As soon as they were out of hearing range, Libby turned to Sawyer and whispered, "I have something to tell you."

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They all returned to the hotel that night with all their purchases. "That was nice and relaxing compared to the other days," Libby said. "Bye." They all went into their designated rooms.

"Hey, Libby, I'm going to take a shower before bed," Ana said and went into the bathroom.

Libby expected this and pulled out her phone. She texted Sawyer telling him to get over there right away.

When Ana came out of the bathroom 15 minutes later, Sawyer had gone already. She couldn't even tell he was there. But she could tell something was different.

"When'd this get here?" Ana asked, pointing to a small heart-shaped box on her pillow.

"It's been there since we got back," Libby lied. "But it says it's for you, so I didn't open it."

Ana picked it up, bewildered. She didn't see it when they came in. The tag only said To: Ana. Who it was from was blank.

She grabbed the lid. It had a soft cushion on it. She slowly pulled it open, revealing the necklace she had admired earlier that day.

"Oh my god," Ana whispered. The only difference was that there was light blue heart-shaped gem to match the other ones at the bottom.

"Who could've done this?" Ana muttered.

Libby shrugged. "I don't know. Whoever it was, though, must care about you a lot to spend that much money on you."

At Libby's words, Ana was even more confused. The only people that knew she liked it were the girls, and she doubted that they would do that. Well, they would, but not on something so expensive.

"Who is it?" Ana whispered to herself. Libby smiled. She hoped Ana would figure it out though, so she could forgive him. Libby would do anything to get Sawyer and Ana back together.

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Late at night, Dan was fixing his newly-repaired device in the woods. At the top of a tree. "C'mon, Faraday, hurry!" Miles whispered from the foot of the tree.

"Okay, okay!" Dan said back. They didn't know how long it took to install a working video camera to a tree. Not to mention it was a video camera that was camouflaged as a leaf, so nobody could see it in the tree. Dan could barely see it himself.

Once he had it secured, he climbed down the tree and hopped in the car where Frank was waiting at the wheel. "Now all we have to do is find a place with wireless internet connection to keep an eye out," Dan told them.

Frank drove them all for a bit until they saw a fluorescent sign that send 'wi-fi connection.' "There!" Charlotte pointed out. "At that hotel."

They pulled into the parking lot and hurried inside. Dan approached the front lobby's desk. "Excuse me; is the internet connection down here in the lobby?"

"Yes, but you must spend at least one night in a room," the employee said.

Dan sighed and pulled out his wallet. "How much?"

"For how many rooms and nights?" she asked.

"One for one!" Dan exclaimed. "How much??"

The employee seemed somewhat offended and quite alarmed. "We have one open room, but it's only two beds."

"I'll sleep on the floor if I have to; I just want to use the internet connection!" Dan said.

"Can I have your name, please?"

"Faraday, Daniel Faraday!"

They finished up at the desk and Dan ran back to the sofa and flipped open his laptop impatiently. Miles took the seat to the right of him and Frank to the left. Naomi and Charlotte stood behind him. Charlotte had one arm across his shoulders to stay balanced.

"Nice job, Faraday," Miles grinned as the screen of the video camera popped up.

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Juliet awoke to her phone buzzing. She groggily answered it. It was Jack.

"Hey," Jack said happily. "You guys want to join us for a game of poker down in the lobby?"

Of course, Juliet thought. Their nightly tradition. How could she forget?

"Guys, get up," Juliet said loudly. "I said get up!" She threw a pillow at Claire.

"Whoa, hello, I'm awake!" Claire shouted.

"Let's go to the lobby to play poker," Juliet said. Kate volunteered to go into Libby and Ana's room and get them.

Everyone met out in the hallway. "Tell me again why we're out playing poker at 11 o'clock when we're waking up at six tomorrow?" Kate groaned.

"Because we're not tired and it's fun," Boone answered.

"Speak for yourself!" Kate laughed. "How could you not be tired?"

"Don't even bother, Kate," Shannon told her. "This is, like, his normal schedule. I could wake up at 5:30 just to get a drink, and he would be-,"

"Oh my god," Juliet interrupted.

"What?" Jack said, concern in his voice. "…oh."

The sight at the lobby was shocking. Dan and Charlotte were kneeling at a table playing cards, with Frank and Naomi doing the same next to them. Miles, however, was sitting on a couch staring at a laptop in front of him

"Seriously, Miles, you're going to damage your eyes or something," Naomi was saying. "Come play a game of Kings on the Corner, I can switch off."

"Hey there," Dan said suddenly. His friends looked up to see who he was talking to and saw them all standing in the doorway.

"Are you serious?" Miles said doubtfully.

"I thought you knew everything about our trip, surely you knew this was our hotel?" Juliet said.

"Don't tell me this is the Hilton," Miles moaned. "Faraday!"

"Hey, don't 'Faraday' me!" Dan said defensively. "I'm the one who spent like 200 for our room just to get this stupid wireless internet!"

"Why would you do that?" Sayid asked.

"Because I like randomly spending 200 dollars," Dan said sarcastically. "No. I'm not telling you."

"You're at our table," Sawyer told them.

"What's got you so mad?" Miles grinned. "Ah, right, it's probably because your girlfriend dumped you."

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I haven't been getting a lot of reviews. Maybe people just don't like my fic anymore. Ah well. Thanks those who still review!!

Next Chapter…Sawyer probably won't like what Miles said to him, and a bit of Koone!


	49. Too Seriously

Last chapter was the longest chapter I've ever had! Yay me!

Also, I was thinking about doing a freighter-only fic. Just so ya know.

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"What did you just say to me?" Sawyer growled.

"I think you heard me," Miles said, still grinning. Sawyer said nothing. He threw a punch at Miles.

Naomi was the first to react. She jumped up and hit Sawyer back.

Ana wasn't happy. She ran up to Naomi and shoved her into the wall.

"Hey, Miles!" Dan yelled. Miles didn't respond and instead ran off to defend Naomi.

Ana was pushed backwards. She struggled to keep balance but couldn't.

"NO!" Dan shouted, but it was too late. Ana fell backwards onto the table and hit Dan's computer, which slid off the table and onto the floor. It smashed into pieces with a sickening crash.

For a moment everything was still and silent. "You see what you do?" Dan said shakily.

"Oh, man," Miles whispered. "Dan, I-,"

"I don't want your apology, Miles," Dan said sincerely. "I want you to realize what this cost us."

Slowly, a look of realization came to Miles' face. "Daniel, please tell me you have a backup plan," Naomi said.

"I wish I could, Naomi," Dan shook his head. "Well, nothing seems to be extremely damaged…except for the computer as a whole, that is."

"Do you have time to fix it?" Frank asked. Dan shook his head again.

"Probably not," he answered. Sawyer moved forward angrily again.

"Hey, hey, back off!" Miles threatened. "Back. Off."

"Do any of you have a computer I can use?" Dan asked quietly.

"Even if we did, what makes you think we would give it to you?" Kate said.

"Because if you don't, you're going to wish you did," Miles said. "One of you, hand it over, now."

At first, no one did anything. Then, slowly, Juliet reached into her bag and pulled out her school laptop.

"What are you doing?" Jack said.

"If I give this to you, will you tell me why you need it?" Juliet said, ignoring Jack.

The group exchanged glances. Then, simultaneously, they all said, "No."

Dan suddenly grabbed a black gadget and jumped up. He ran over to the front desk. No one was there. He slid to a halt in front of the front desk's computer.

"Does it have what you need?" Charlotte asked him.

"No," Dan replied. "But I'll make it if I have to."

Dan hurriedly pressed keys and clicked around. Kate courageously started over there to see what he was doing. Miles ran up in front of her. "Don't even think about it."

"Who's going to stop me?" Kate snarled and tried to push past him.

"I don't want to have to hurt you," Miles said quietly.

"Oh, please," Kate rolled her eyes. "I doubt you could if you tried."

"Seriously, Kate, I'm not going to tell you again," Miles warned.

"What are you going to do, shoot me?" Kate laughed. Her laughter ceased after she noticed that Miles was hesitating on how to answer this.

Boone stepped up and grabbed Kate's hand. He had the same thing in mind. "Kate, maybe you should back off."

Kate didn't say anything and stepped back. She was staring wide-eyed at Miles, who said, "Good. Dan?"

"I'm hurrying!" Dan said. "I think we missed him!"

"Can you go back?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah, yeah, just give me a sec," he said.

Voices of employees grew louder. "Daniel!" Charlotte said warningly.

"Okay, I got it!" Dan said. "1642."

Dan jumped out from behind the desk just in time. The employee glared suspiciously at him but said nothing. "C'mon, let's go," Miles mumbled and they all head out the door.

"Did anyone else get that hint he was giving?" Kate whispered.

"Yeah," Ana nodded. "But do you really think he could've had a gun?"

Nobody answered. "Let's just go upstairs," Jack finally said. "We shouldn't even be down here. We have to get up at six for the museum."

Ana fell into step beside Sawyer. "No more midnight poker games for us," she muttered, making Sawyer smile for the first time in days.

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Kate and Claire emerged from the museum in tears the next day.

"Seriously, guys, do you know how ridiculous you look right now?" Ana laughed.

"But-but those poor Jews!" Claire said.

"I knew about the gases and stuff," Kate sniffed. "But that's just so cruel!"

"Hey, we're lucky it wasn't any of us or anyone we know," Charlie said, squeezing Claire's hand and putting an arm around her shoulder. "The Holocaust is over, that's why they put this stuff in a museum."

"Really, calm down," Boone agreed; however, he went to Kate's side and comforted her anyway. Kate sobbed into his shoulder and Boone glanced around with an expression like 'What the heck?' on his face.

"Kate, I think you're taking this a bit too seriously," Boone said after a while.

"Too seriously? This really happened; of course I'm taking it seriously!" Kate said.

"Well, yeah, 'seriously' is one thing. 'Too seriously' is another," Boone argued back. This got a laugh out of Kate.

"We're going back to the hotel now anyway," Shannon reminded them. "We're lucky; tonight, we have two hours off."

"Yeah, maybe we can play a game of poker down in the lobby," Ana said sarcastically.

They returned to the hotel about 20 minutes later. By then, Kate and Claire were back to their peppy selves. "Not the best day of the trip," Kate said.

"Sure, now she's optimistic again," Boone rolled his eyes. They all said bye to each other and went into their rooms, except Ana and Libby, who followed Kate, Shannon, Claire, and Juliet into their rooms.

"So you're talking to Sawyer again?" Shannon asked Ana.

Ana shrugged. "Sure, I mean, we're friends."

"That's all you have to say?" Kate asked her. Ana shrugged again.

"But what do you have to say?" Juliet grinned. "Were you just pretending to be all upset so Boone could come and comfort you?"

"No!" Kate blushed. "That was sad, and I wasn't the only one!"

"Oh, and don't forget last night, when he had your hand in his," Shannon remembered.

"That was only because of Miles!"

"Yeah, but you didn't let go," Claire told her.

"Can we please talk about something else now?" Kate grumbled.

"Just admit you like him, Kate, and we can stop bothering you about it," Libby said.

"And what if I do?" Kate blushed even more.

"Oh my god, you do!!" Shannon squealed.

"What?" Kate said. "You just made me admit it!"

"You can't admit it if it's not true, Kate," Ana laughed.

"Now can we talk about something else?" Kate said while everyone else was laughing in the background.

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Ana and Libby returned to their room late that night. Ana, who had just about forgotten about the necklace, saw the box resting on her bedside table.

"Still haven't figured out who did that?" Libby asked her.

Ana looked at her, confused. Her word choice puzzled her for some reason. "Libby," Ana began. "Something, for some reason, tells me that you know who it is." She didn't say it if she was asking Libby if she did, she was saying it as if she knew Libby knew.

"So what if I do?" Libby grinned.

"Who is it?" Ana gasped.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out," Libby shrugged. "It seems like the most obvious choice to me. You probably know who it is but don't want it to be this person. Is that true, Ana?"

Ana paused and thought about it. She knew that Libby was talking about Sawyer, and she was right, Ana didn't want it to be him. Ana put her head in her hands. She had no idea what to think anymore. She had never felt worse when she realized Sawyer was still gong out with someone else. Ana had never felt so strongly to any other boyfriend, and when he betrayed her, it was the most painful feeling ever. She didn't want to fall in love again and get hurt again.

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That was dramatic. Yeah. There was still only one review for the last chapter. You rock, Miss Hermione Jane Granger!

I'm confused. I think I might like a ship more than Sana. Starting today, I haven't been able to stop thinking about ideas for Miles/Naomi.


	50. DHARMA Initiative

**Huh. Wow. Sorry but my newest fic, Unknown Tales of the Freighter, is my favorite. So I probably won't be updating here as frequently.**

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The next few days until the end of the trip went on without anything major happening. So, as if no time at all had passed, they were at the airport ready to go back to school again.

"This week went by so fast," Kate shook her head.

"I really like it here, I don't want to go back to school," Shannon said.

"You aren't tired of the windy weather and the endless walking?" Sayid asked her. She shrugged.

"Yes, but still, it's a change of scenery," Shannon said.

"Flight 842 boarding."

"Alright, that's us," Charlie said as they handed their tickets in to be checked.

"Who sits by whom?" Juliet asked, trying to find her seat on her ticket.

They all found their seats, which were much more random then the flight in. "Do you think Miles is on our flight again?" Kate asked Libby who was sitting next to her.

"I certainly hope not," Libby replied. "I wouldn't be surprised though."

After the plane took off, Libby said, "Did Ana tell you about that necklace?"

"No, what are you talking about?" Kate said.

"Well, the other day she found this box on her bed," Libby explained. "And it said 'To Ana' and not who it was from. When she opened it, it was that necklace she wanted from the jewelry store at the mall."

"Wow, weird," Kate said. "I wonder who-,"

"It was Sawyer," Libby interrupted. "With the help of me. Ana figured that out and now I don't know what that made her think, but she was sitting there for like 2 hours thinking."

"We're getting them back together," Kate assured.

"Yes we are," Libby said confidently. "No matter what."

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Meanwhile, Charlie was next to Sawyer and was attempting to cheer him up. "Why don't you listen to the one good music station on this plane?" Charlie suggested. "I know you like music, James."

Sawyer grimaced yet took the headphones anyway, but only to not listen to Charlie anymore. When he turned it on the song he heard was 'Heat of the Moment' by Asia.

"Ana likes this song," he whispered. Charlie looked nervous.

"Well then how about no music?" Charlie attempted to pull out his headphones.

"No!" Sawyer exclaimed. "I want to listen to it."

Charlie shrugged and listened to it as well. Sawyer noticed how some of the lyrics fit in with his love life situation right now:

_I never meant to be so bad to you  
One thing I said that I would never do  
A look from you and I would fall from grace  
And that would wipe the smile right from my face  
Do you remember when we used to dance  
And incidents arose from circumstance  
One thing lead to another we were young  
And we would scream together songs unsung_

He sighed as the song ended a few minutes later, the lyrics repeating in his head one after another. He wondered whether Ana had realized that he was the one who gave her the necklace. She probably did, she was a smart girl.

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Claire and Sayid got off the plane arguing. They met up with the group, who watched them bicker with amusement.

"Did not."

"It's true!"

"Don't lie to me, Sayid."

"I'm not lying!"

"What is going on here?" Juliet finally asked.

"Sayid says that he was shot once when in Iraq," Claire explained.

"Did you?" Shannon asked him concernedly.

"Yes."

"Liar," Claire said.

Sayid sighed. "Ask anyone from around there, they'd have told you."

"Well I'm not going to Iraq, Sayid, just to find out whether you were shot in war," Claire told him.

Sayid sat down in one of the airport chairs and lifted his leg up onto the seat. He pointed to a spot just below his knee that had a small, round scar.

"Okay, maybe I was wrong," Claire said. Sayid laughed and shook his head.

"Let's go," Sayid said and they followed their classmates down the airport hall.

After about half an hour in the bus, they pulled into a McDonald's for dinner. Once they entered, a shout of "Dad?" was heard.

"Penelope!" Charles Widmore exclaimed.

"What are the odds?!" Miles yelled, slamming his fist on the table.

"What are you doing here?" Kate and Penny said at the same time.

"I'm working, my dear Penelope," Charles answered.

Kate suddenly realized- it wasn't Penny they were talking to on the phone at the mall, it was Penny's dad, Charles.

"How was your trip?" Charles asked his daughter.

"It was great," Penny replied. "We were busy all of the time, and the weather was not good for walking outside and touring."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Charles said. "I'm glad you had a good time, though."

"Can we save the chit-chat for later?" Miles said impatiently.

"Certainly," Charles said. "Don't fall behind your friends, Penelope." Penny joined everyone else in the line.

"Yeah, that counts for you too," Miles said to the remaining people.

"Do you know them, Straume?" Charles said curiously.

"Unfortunately, yes," Miles mumbled.

"Why are you here?" Juliet asked him.

"That's confidential," Frank informed them.

"Will you just leave, please?" Miles said impatiently. "I've had enough of you all."

"Fine," Ana said. "But don't expect we won't be back." They all turned and returned to their classmates. As they were waiting to order, they noticed Daniel pulling out a stack of papers and handing them to Charles.

"Do you think Penny know anything about this?" Jack said quietly.

"Who knows?" Claire shrugged. "It seems as if she wasn't very surprised to see them. Maybe we should talk to her." They received their meals and joined Penny and Desmond where they were sitting.

"Penny, can we talk to you?" Libby asked her.

"Sure, I guess," Penny replied. "What's up?"

"Them," Sayid said, nodding towards her father. "Do you know them?"

"Well, yeah, I've met them a few times recently," Penny said.

"And do you by chance know what they do for your father?" Juliet said.

"Guys, it's the Widmore Corporation, what don't they do?" Penny laughed. "I don't know what _they_ do exactly. I'm pretty sure it either has to do with the Widmore Labs, Hanso Foundation, or Paik Heavy Industries."

"Did you say Paik Industries?" Sun interrupted suddenly.

"Yeah…" Penny said.

"I never knew your dad worked with my dad all the way in Korea," Sun said.

"No, wait, it's the Hanso Foundation," Penelope remembered thoughtfully. "Yeah, I remember they came over and met Alvar Hanso for the first time. I keep hearing the Department of Heuristics And Research of Materials Applications Initiative mentioned, but I really don't know what that is."

"That's a mouthful," Sawyer said. "Department of what and what?"

"Department of-," Penny began. "They should shorten that. That would make it…DHARMA Initiative, if you don't count the of's."

"Wait, what?" Desmond said. "DHARMA Initiative?"

"I guess," Penny shrugged.

Desmond looked at them. "I think it's time to take another trip down into the hatch."

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**Department of Heuristics And Research of Materials Applications Initiative rocks! …But I think I'll stick with DHARMA.**


	51. Annie

"You're sure about this?" Ana said for what felt like the hundredth time. They were back at school, out in the woods, standing before the hatch.

"Of course I'm sure," Desmond said. "I lived down there for 3 years; it's not something I'd forget easily."

"We have to climb down there?" Jack nodded towards the hatch.

"No," Desmond replied. "There's another entrance." He led them farther into the woods and pushed past some plants. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. Those who hadn't seen the hatch gazed around in awe.

Desmond led them through a living space and kitchen and into a dome-shaped room.

"What is this equipment used for?" Sayid asked Desmond.

"I never found out," Desmond told him. "But I've always wondered why that timer never went down." He pointed up on the wall where a time that said 108:00 was there. "Keep going."

He led them to the hallway in which Sawyer, Ana, and Jack first arrived. "There."

On the wall was an octagon-shaped symbol with a picture of a swan in the center. Going across the middle was the word "DHARMA"

"You haven't run across anything else besides this that said DHARMA?" Jack said.

"Yeah," Desmond walked out of the hallway and back into the living space. Near the kitchen was a pantry, in which every food item said "DHARMA."

"How old is this stuff?" Shannon said.

"I don't know," Desmond shrugged. "It's actually really good though." He picked up an Apollo candy bar and peeled off the wrapper.

They walked back out to the living space. Sayid made his way into the dome-shaped room with a computer and other equipment. "I wouldn't fiddle around with that, brother," Desmond warned.

"And why shouldn't I?" Sayid said.

"Because I don't know what it's used for," Desmond said. Sayid ignored him and examined it all. Suddenly, the timer on the wall flipped down to 107:00.

"That can't be good," Desmond muttered.

"Why can't it?" Jack said.

"Because we don't know what it's counting down to," Desmond said.

"This place is better than where we live," Sawyer said. He was in the kitchen and living space area. "You must've led a pretty nice life down here."

"Didn't you see it before, brother?" Desmond asked him.

"Well, yeah," Sawyer said. "But I was too worried that you would shoot me to notice how nice it was."

"_Shoot_ you?" Kate gasped. "How come you didn't tell us about this?"

"I guess we didn't think it was important," Ana shrugged. The timer flipped down to 106:00.

"Oh yeah you did have a gun down here didn't you?" Jack remembered.

"Can we please focus on the timer?" Desmond interrupted.

"I think we're just going to have to wait to see what it does," Sawyer suggested.

"Unless it blows up the world or something," Desmond said.

"And how likely is that?" Shannon argued.

"Why don't we just try to figure out what the DHARMA Initiative was doing down here?" Claire asked.

"I lived here for three years, if I didn't figure it out; you think we can find it in 105 minutes?" Desmond questioned.

"Yeah, but the only difference is that you weren't looking for it," Boone reminded him.

Desmond shrugged and went out into the kitchen.

"I'm going to make a smoothie, anyone else want one?" Desmond said from the pantry.

He brought some stuff out of the pantry. "Seriously, Desmond, you really shouldn't eat that if you don't know how old it is," Jack advised.

"I ate it before, it didn't hurt me then," Desmond shrugged. He put some food in a blender while everyone else looked around the place.

"Who painted this mural?" Kate asked from somewhere else.

"I did," Desmond answered.

"Why does it say '108' and '42'?" Kate said.

Desmond paused. Why _did_ he paint that? "I don't know. I think the 108 is from that timer…but the 42…" It sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't remember.

As Desmond sat there, drinking his smoothie and trying to remember, he noticed something. "I can't believe I left this down here," Desmond muttered. He pulled a book-_Our Mutual Friend_- off of the bookshelf.

"Hey, you've got _The Turn of the Screw_?" Sawyer said. "I've always wanted to read that." He pulled it off the shelf, causing something to clatter to the ground.

Desmond gasped. "I completely forgot about that!" He picked it up.

"What is it?" Sawyer tried to see what it said, right before a loud beeping noise reiterated every second.

"What is that noise?" Boone shouted.

Desmond didn't answer and instead ran over to the dome room. He sat down at the computer and typed something in. The timer flipped back up.

"42," Desmond said. "That's where I got it from."

"But what was that?" Juliet said. Desmond handed her the thing that fell from the bookshelf, which turned out to be a film. He pulled out a very old looking projector for them to look at it.

After the film explained what exactly the DHARMA Initiative was, and that the 'code' had to be entered into the computer every 108 minutes, but sometimes it froze in place and you wouldn't have to enter the code, Shannon said, "What does it mean by 'the part of the island?'"

"What does it mean by 'sometimes will those who are here will have to enter the code, but only when those in the real station have failed?'" Boone asked.

"We should be getting back to the school," Desmond said. "It's almost 11 o' clock."

"Well what about that?" Sayid nodded towards the room with the computer. It now read 96:00.

"Well I guess I'll just stay down here," Desmond sighed.

"No, Desmond, you lived down here for years, I'll stay," Juliet offered. "I want to watch that again anyway."

Before they went back to the school, Desmond showed Juliet where everything was in case she needed anything. He also informed them all of the code, '4 8 15 16 23 42.' "You'll be okay down here by yourself, right?" Jack said as they were leaving.

"Yeah, and I've got my phone, so I can just call if I need something," Juliet answered.

"One of us can stay down here with you if you want," Kate said.

"I think I'll live, thanks," Juliet smiled.

"Alright…see you in the morning, then," Kate shrugged and followed everyone else out the door.

"Bye," Jack said too, before kissing her lightly. He joined Kate down the hall.

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"It's probable," Dan said. "I mean, if you're down there, how can you not know about the island? There's got to be something."

"According to Matthew, the imitation Swan station has been abandoned for years," Naomi told them. "Who's to say whoever last lived there didn't take everything with them for wherever they went?"

"Who's to say they didn't just die down there and had no chance to take their stuff with them?" Miles said.

"There's a pleasant thought," Frank mumbled. "They couldn't have possibly taken everything."

"Either way," Charlotte interrupted. "Charles wants us to go down there and search. Why sit here debating about it when we're supposed to go down there anyway?"

"Shouldn't Hanso know?" Miles said. "It's his station."

"I think there's something he's not telling us," Dan said slowly. "How he suddenly lost all communication with anyone. That doesn't make sense to me."

"Let's just go," Naomi said. "Let's see what we can find."

"Don't we have to wait for that one person to come?" Frank said.

"Oh right," Naomi remembered. "The person that Matthew sent over here. Yeah. We do have to wait."

Right on cue, there was a knock on the door. They all walked over to answer it. Standing there in a DHARMA Initiative uniform was a girl about who looked about in her teens. She had straight light brown hair and green eyes. A few barely visible freckles could be seen on her face.

"Hi," she greeted. "I'm Annie."

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Okay I really hate myself for having to put in the computer and the numbers and stuff in that, but they couldn't find the Orientation film without having to do something with that.


	52. I Can Trust You Now

"You know what you're doing?" Miles asked as they made their way through the woods.

"I know _exactly_ what I'm doing," Annie replied confidently as she led the way to the imitation Swan.

As they entered the hallway the loud, obnoxious beeping of the timer filled the room. "Best go take care of that," Annie said. She strode over to the dome-room and froze as she saw someone else already at the computer.

"Who're you?" Annie questioned, making the person at the computer whirl around quickly in confusion once she finished entering the numbers.

"Juliet?" Dan said before she could answer.

"You know her?" Annie said.

"All too well," Miles muttered.

"Well, Juliet," Annie said confidently. "Do you want to tell us what you're doing down here?"

"Not really, no," Juliet replied calmly. "But I guess I have no choice. I volunteered to stay down here to take care of this button."

"I see," Annie nodded. "We're here for that as well, so if you want, go ahead and leave."

"I don't think I will, actually," Juliet told her.

"Why won't you?" Miles asked.

"Because I don't trust you down here," Juliet responded.

"I see you have some issues with each other," Annie said.

"Is it that obvious?" Miles asked sarcastically. "Of course we do. I've seen way too much of her and her friends in my lifetime."

"Miles," Juliet interrupted. "Maybe your friend here is right. There's no reason for us to be enemies. We should just end this now."

Juliet held out her hand for someone to shake. No one said or did anything for a while. Finally, Frank stepped forward and shook her hand.

It was another few moments until Charlotte did the same. Dan immediately followed her. Naomi and Miles were left standing there.

Juliet waited still. Dan, Charlotte, and Frank looked at Naomi and Miles expectantly. They glanced at each other before stepping up and ending the rivalry.

"I can trust you now," Juliet said softly. "If you have this under control, I'm going up to the school."

"We got it," Annie smiled. Juliet said bye to them all and walked out of the woods into the dark night. She snuck through the hallways and entered her dorm to find all the girls there, awake.

"What are you doing back?" Kate asked urgently.

"I left someone else in charge, don't worry," Juliet assured them. "They know what they're doing."

"You're not going to tell us who?" Shannon questioned.

Juliet hesitated. They probably wouldn't be happy with her choice. "How about I tell you in the morning?"

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The next morning when they kept bugging her about it she told them that she'd tell them over breakfast with the guys. Half an hour later they were gathered around a table eating breakfast before their lessons.

"So who was it?" Jack asked after Juliet told them why she was back.

"Well," Juliet began slowly. "Before I tell you, I just want to make it clear that they're totally trustworthy and there's no reason to be worried." When no one said anything she went on. "There were six people, actually. One of them you don't know, her name's Annie, I think. The other five were Miles, D-."

"What?!" Sawyer exclaimed. "What do you mean they're totally trustworthy? Why would you do that?"

"I know they're trustworthy," Juliet said calmly. "They're our friends now."

"Since when?" Ana scoffed. "Speak for yourself."

"Yeah, thanks, Ana, we all know you have trust issues," Juliet said.

"You can't blame her," Sawyer defended. "Just because you tell us they're trustworthy doesn't mean we have to believe you."

Juliet shrugged. "Suit yourself. I know who and who not to trust."

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The lessons that day were much more boring than usual. This was probably because of Sawyer's lack of spirit recently so he never said any sarcastic comments. The classes were completely silent.

About 5 people actually came up to him after class and asked him what was wrong. As he answered, "Ana dumped me," Ana would turn away and pretend she wasn't listening. But she was listening. She heard the surprise in people's voice as they genuinely said, "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Then, after that, people would come up to her and ask her why she broke up with Sawyer. Of course, by then the entire school knew. Ana explained the whole situation. They would take a second to ponder what she had told them and then say, "You should give him a second chance. He seems so disappointed…" and so on and so forth.

After classes that day Ana informed the girls about how people kept asking her this and how she felt guilty. They, of course, believed they should hook up again, but Ana still wasn't sure.

"Hey, did you guys hear?" Kate said suddenly. "Prom is on May 17th."

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled.

"That's less than a month away!" Shannon screamed.

"Yeah," Kate said slowly. "I really wish I never said that."

"Kate, no, you should be glad you said that," Shannon said. "Usually we need about a month and a half to prepare, so we're really going to have a tight schedule-,"

"We already have a tight schedule," Ana interrupted. "Have you noticed the teachers have been piling homework on us? And it's not like there's a lot to prepare for. It's just a dance, like the million we've already had this year."

"Not a lot to prepare for?" Claire said disbelievingly. "Ana, you probably have the most to worry about! You are going with Sawyer, right?"

Ana said nothing. That's really what she would enjoy, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to completely. "That's not a no," Juliet finally said optimistically.

"Well, besides dates," Claire went on. "There's dresses, make-up, hair, shoes… Oh my god, we'll never be done on time!"

"What are you talking about?" Kate laughed. "You already have a date, and it only takes like one day to get all that stuff at the mall."

"You have a lot to learn, my friend," Shannon shook her head.

"Hey, the guys want to go hang out and do homework in the hatch," Juliet said. "Want to go?"

"They do?" Claire said doubtfully. "Are your friends still down there?"

"As far as I know," Juliet shrugged. They pulled on their shoes and jackets and found the boys out waiting in the hallway.

"So what's the yelling all about over there?" Charlie said as they began walking out of the building.

"Prom on May 17th," Kate answered. _"Some people_ are making too big of a deal about it." She nodded towards Claire and Shannon.

They entered the hatch, prepared for anyone to be there. Instead, it looked just like they had left it, and the timer was back frozen on 108.

"They're not here," Juliet looked around. "Oh well."

"At least they didn't blow up the place," Sawyer said, taking a seat on one of the bunks.

"I told you we could trust them," Juliet said, sitting on a stool in the kitchen.

"Just because it hasn't blown up doesn't mean we can trust them," Ana argued, jumping on the top bunk next to Sawyer.

"Okay, let's just do our homework," Juliet said. "I'm not going to bother trying to convince you if you refuse to believe it."

"I believe you," Jack said.

"Hey, there's only about a month left of school," Shannon said randomly. "The year flew by so quickly."

"Yeah, it did," Claire agreed. "But one month is a long time, especially with the sudden overload of homework."

They continued on their work and talked a bit more until 8, when they decided to go back up to their rooms.

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**Yeah, I know. I know. That took me a while. All of the previous chapters have only been there to lead up to the moment when everyone is friends. Next chapter probably some prom stuff.**


	53. You Found Out

**So this chapter I think will be mainly romance 'n stuff and then next chapter will be like shopping 'n stuff. Unless I could add them both in here and make it like SUPER LONG!**

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Juliet woke up in the middle of the night. She heard a muffled piano sound. Confused, she sat upright in her bed and listened closely. It seemed to be coming from the lounge-area.

She pushed herself out of bed and slowly, as to not wake her friends, crept out the door and into the hall. She leaned against the doorway and watched Jack at the piano.

"Hey," she said quietly at the end of his song.

"Oh-hi," Jack said. "I didn't hear you."

"I did my best to be quiet," Juliet smiled. She walked over to him. "What are you doing up?"

Jack scooted to the end of the bench so Juliet could have room to sit. "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah," Juliet answered. "But that's okay. I really admire guys that can play the piano. So what are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Jack sighed. "Too much to think about right now."

"What's on your mind?" Juliet asked.

"Nothing," Jack responded.

"Jack," Juliet said, wondering why he wouldn't tell her. "What's on your mind?"

Jack sighed again and took Juliet's hand. "You, actually. Uh…Juliet, I know we haven't, like, ever been on a real date or anything, but…do you want to go to prom with me?"

For about a split second, Juliet was speechless. "I-Jack…" She paused and took a deep breath. "Yes, I do."

Jack's face broke into a big grin. "There's nothing I would like more, come to think of it," Juliet went on. They kissed briefly.

"I guess we should be getting back to bed, then," Jack said quietly.

"Yeah, we probably should," Juliet smiled. "We still have classes tomorrow."

Jack groaned and Juliet laughed. "C'mon. I'll see you in the morning."

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The next morning as the girls were getting ready for class Juliet brought up the previous night's events casually. It was so sudden, so random in the conversation that Kate sat up in her bed too quickly and hit her head, Shannon splashed herself with water while washing her face, and Claire pulled her hair because she was brushing her hair.

"Oh my god!!" Shannon screamed. "That is so great! Now there are only two of us left!"

"Four if you count Ana and Libby," Claire added.

"No, Libby's going with Hurley," Kate informed them. Similar reactions occurred.

"Since when?" Claire asked.

"Since he asked her yesterday…" Kate said slowly.

"Oh, and Ana's going with Sawyer," Shannon said confidently. "We're making sure of that."

"Well, now that we're planning Ana's date," Juliet began. "Why don't we continue by saying that Shannon will be going with Sayid?"

"Shannon hopes so," Shannon said in third-person.

"And Kate's going with Boone," Kate added in.

"Everyone is going to be late if they don't hurry up," Claire said. They hurried up like Claire suggested and made it to class right on time.

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Two days later Claire found herself in the library looking for a book on the French and Indian war for a project. Charlie made his way over to her. "Looking for this?" He held up a book.

"Yes," Claire snatched it out of his hands. "You know, this would've helped 10 minutes ago."

"Yeah, it would've, wouldn't it?" Charlie said. He pulled up a chair for her and took the seat next to it. "Before you start your project, can I talk to you?"

"Make it quick, please," Claire said and set her work aside.

"Okay," Charlie said hurriedly. "I didn't know what to think about this whole prom thing. I didn't want to just expect that we'd be going together, but I didn't want you to think I wasn't planning on going with you."

"I know," Claire sighed. "I was thinking the same thing. If you're asking, then yes, I do want to go with you."

"Of course I'm asking," Charlie said. "Well now that that's taken care of, I'd best start my homework too."

A bit of time passed before Claire said quietly, "Do you think Ana and Sawyer will end up going together?"

"Yeah, I do," Charlie whispered. "The classes haven't been on as entertaining without Sawyer's sarcastic comments. It's like he doesn't care anymore."

"He doesn't," Claire said. "You heard him in D.C. She was his world, his entire life."

"Speaking of D.C.," Charlie said hesitantly. "Did you mean what you said about me?"

"I meant every word," Claire smiled. "But I said… I said that I doubt you'd ever leave…I said that all you've done is try to make me happy."

"I won't ever leave," Charlie said and kissed her.

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Three days after that Shannon was flipping through a magazine on a beanbag chair. Sayid took the chair next to her and grabbed the TV remote.

"Do you mind?" he asked her, indicating the TV.

"Oh-no, go ahead," Shannon said. After a while, the noise was distracting her so she sighed and set her magazine down.

"Is that bothering you?" Sayid asked immediately.

"Yeah," Shannon replied. "But that's fine. I'll read it later. But thanks for asking, that's very nice of you."

Sayid shrugged. "I didn't want to be disturbing the peace."

Shannon laughed and for the next few minutes the only noise was the TV. Then Sayid said casually, "So…you're pretty excited for prom, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Shannon confirmed.

"Would you be more excited if you had me as your date?" Sayid said.

"Uh, yeah," Shannon said as if it were the most obvious thing ever. "Like, a million times more excited."

"Then would you like to go with me?" he asked.

"Yes!" Shannon replied quickly. "Yes, yes I would."

"I'll see you there," Sayid grinned, hardly containing his happiness.

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That same day Ana was outside and reading a book at a picnic table. A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see two people that she very much did not want to see.

"Hi," Ace greeted.

"Hi," Ana said slowly.

"Listen, this may be a bad time," Matt said. "But what we hear around school is that you and Sawyer are over."

"You hear correctly," Ana replied coolly.

"Would that mean that you're free?" Matt continued.

"I guess it does," Ana said.

"So do you want to go out sometime?" Ace asked.

Instead of answering, Ana said, "How come you two always come in pairs? You never come one at a time, both of you always come and talk to me."

Matt and Ace glanced at each other. "Is that a yes or a no?"

"It's a no," Ana said. "Just because I broke up with him doesn't mean I don't still like him."

"That doesn't make sense," Matt said.

"You're just too stupid to understand," Ana was surprised that the words were taken right out of her mouth. But she didn't need to turn around to realize that it was Sawyer who had said it.

"Can we talk, please?" he asked Ana quietly.

"Can't you see we're in a conversation here?" Ace said.

"Can't you see that she doesn't want to be in a conversation with you?" Sawyer argued.

"Yeah, seriously guys," Ana said. "I want to talk with him. Can you leave, please?" They nodded and turned to walk away.

"Since when are you so friendly with them?" Sawyer asked, stunned.

"Since I wanted to talk," she smiled. "And they couldn't be here for that. So, talk."

Sawyer took a deep breath and said, "I understand why you won't forgive me. I want you to know that the only reason I never broke up with Cassidy is that when I met you, I totally forgot about her. She never crossed my mind. I just want you to know that so you didn't think I am a complete jerk. Oh, and I want you to know that even if we can't be more than friends, I still care about you."

"I know you do," Ana responded. She reached up towards the top of her jacket and tucked under her shirt was the necklace. "I can tell."

"You found out," Sawyer said.

"Yeah I did," Ana entwined her fingers with his and kissed him.

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This brought the loudest scream to the girls'. They had yelled for about 5 minutes. Everyone went about their business and left Kate sitting in the lounge by Boone.

"Kinda sad, huh?" Kate said, breaking the silence with that signature smile of hers.

"What?" Boone questioned.

"That we're the only ones that don't really have dates to the prom," Kate told him.

"Well, technically, Ana and Sawyer aren't going with each other," Boone said. "And anyway, I'm sure a girl like you has a lot of admirers that would love to go with you."

"Even if that's true, I don't think I'm really interested," Kate shrugged. "I just think it's sad that you and I are the only ones in our group of friends that don't have dates."

Boone just shrugged. "You know," Kate went on. "We could go with each other."

"We could," Boone replied slowly. "…We haven't ever been on a real date."

"Well, then," Kate said. "How about this…you and I go to dinner tonight?"

"That sounds great," Boone said. "I'll see you at six, I guess."

"I guess you will," Kate grinned.

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Whoa…long chapter…anyone else see TSOTTC? It was so amazing! I won't spoil, though.


	54. Katie's on a Datie

It was that day, Friday, and everyone was gathered in the girls' room. Charlie sat with Claire on her bed, leaning against the wall together and both just looking cute together. Juliet was lying on her bed with Jack sitting next to her. She had her phone out and was looking through it. Shannon was leaning sideways on her bed with her legs over Sayid's lap while he was just sitting normally. Sawyer and Ana sat comfortably in a corner next to each other.

"Where's Kate?" Shannon asked suddenly.

"You mean you didn't hear?" Jack grinned. He added in a sing-song tone, "Katie's on a datie."

"What?!" Claire said. "With whom?"

"Well who's the only one missing from this room besides her?" Jack laughed.

"Oh my god," Shannon whispered.

"OH MY GOD!" Claire, Juliet, and Ana all echoed. "When did this happen?!"

"This afternoon," Jack told them. "Boone told Hurley, I'm surprised you didn't hear about it by now."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Shannon said. Sayid scooted away to the group's laughter. "Get back here." She grabbed his arm. "You're not going anywhere."

"Oh, fun," Sayid said. "I get to stay with someone who thinks she's going to be sick."

"We'll just have to bug her about it when she gets back," Ana said.

"What are you texting?" Jack asked Juliet randomly.

"Nothing," Juliet answered and moved her phone he other way so he couldn't see.

"Juliet!" Jack exclaimed. "What are you texting?"

"You…all…should…come…to…our…prom…" Sawyer was reading. Because Juliet had turned her phone away from Jack, it was now facing Sawyer, who silently pulled out his glasses and could read the screen.

"Who is that to?" Charlie said, shocked.

"No one that you would care about," Juliet answered.

"Tell me," Jack said, reaching for the phone. She turned it away again, but then Sawyer could read it.

"No…last…time…we…came…to…your…dance…we…got…thrown…out," Sawyer read the response. "You're not actually friends with them!"

"Guys, they're trustworthy," Juliet said wearily to a bunch of gaping faces. "I'm talking to Naomi, and we're allowed to bring friends from other places."

"Oh, well if you're so sure," Shannon said. "Invite her and Charlotte to come shopping with us this weekend. I already have a bunch of people from our grade coming with us."

"Wait, what?" Ana snapped quickly. "Who is going shopping and why are they?"

"We all are," Shannon answered. "We've all got dates to the prom; therefore, we need dresses."

"No, no, no!" Ana defended. "Sawyer never asked me, I don't need a dress!"

"Hey Ana, will you go to prom with me?" Sawyer grinned, causing more laughter.

Ana glared at him. "I hate you."

"Is that a yes?" Sawyer said.

"I guess," Ana sighed. "Fine. You win; I'll come shopping. But I won't like it!"

Before Shannon could retaliate, the door opened and Kate walked in. For a moment, she was surprised to see them all there. They all stared at her with smiles on their faces.

"I'm surprised at you, Kate," Shannon shook her head. "You could do so much better."

"Oh, shut up," Kate snapped, throwing her jacket at Shannon. "I don't care what you think, I like him. Who told?"

"It was Jack!" Sawyer said immediately.

"Thanks, Sawyer," Jack grumbled.

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"So where are they?" Claire asked Juliet as they got to the mall that weekend. Shannon had, like she said, invited a bunch of girls from their grade, and they didn't understand what they were waiting for.

"Uh, I don't know," Juliet peered around. "They should be around here somewhere. I told them here and now."

"See, Juliet?" Ana scoffed. "You can't even trust them for something as small as this."

"Trust who for what?" someone behind them said. They turned to see both Charlotte and Naomi with smirks on their faces.

"Nothing," Ana mumbled. "Let's just go get this over with."

The group of girls walked, chatting merrily, to the first store that looked good. They mostly went their separate ways within the store.

"So what do you think?" Kate said to Claire.

"For you?" Claire questioned. "Hmm…nothing too bright, of course. Maybe kind of dark…I don't know, you're pretty hard to choose for. How about me?"

"Oh," Kate said, surprised that Claire would ask her, of all people, this question. "Well, nothing dark, but nothing really exuberantly bright either. Somewhere in the middle, and I'd say a warmer color."

"Hey," one of the girls that came with them, Cindy, said. "Any luck with you?"

"Not really," Kate replied. "I don't really know what I'm looking for that much. Who are you going with?"

"Gary Troup," Cindy answered. "I think I may have found something, I'm not too picky. Can I get your opinion?" They nodded, somewhat excited to see it.

Cindy led the two over to a rack of dresses and after a few seconds of searching, she pulled a dark brown dress that looked as if it went down to Cindy's ankles. The sleeves were about an inch wide and the material was soft like velvet.

"Try it on, Cindy," Claire advised after a minute. Cindy shrugged and went into the dressing room.

"Shannon!" Claire called. "Come here!"

Shannon was over in a flash. "What is it? Did you find something?"

"No," Kate said. "But Cindy did, and we think it looks pretty good, but we need your expert advice."

Shannon nodded in understanding before saying, "What? Where is it?"

"Right here," Cindy emerged from behind the wall.

Shannon's eyes widened. "Wow, Cindy, I seriously would have doubted that you would have found a dress so quickly, but I really think that's the one for you!"

"You're the professional," Cindy shrugged, though she was a lot more excited than she acted. She went and purchased the dress.

"So is everyone else done?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah," Kate said. "They're all waiting by the entrance."

For about 5 minutes they all stood out in the hall admiring Cindy's new dress, but then they moved on to the next store.

Here, Sarah, Juliet, and Nikki were all considering dresses. Charlotte and Naomi hung around them and talked to each other only, or if they could, Juliet.

"What do you think?" Juliet asked, holding out an indigo colored dress.

"It's pretty nice, Juliet," Sarah admitted. "You should go try it on and look at it in the mirror. But first, how do you think about this orange one for me?"

It was spaghetti strapped and went a bit past Sarah's knees. The top portion was covered with visible, but not vivid, translucent white crystals. "Definitely," Nikki nodded. "You go try it on, too, Sarah."

They both came out a few moments later. Sarah was pretty confident in hers, but Juliet wasn't sure.

Nikki, who was also an expert like Shannon, stood looking intently at Juliet in her dress, with a puzzled expression on her face. Finally, about ten minutes later, she sighed, relaxed and said, "You know, Juliet, it's really good on you, but I think you can do better. You should keep looking."

Juliet agreed and put the dress back on the shelf. Nikki, however, could tell that the dress she was thinking about wasn't for her just by looking at it. They all went on to the next store.

Ana and Kate were fed up and tired of shopping by now. They were getting desperate to just find a dress and get out. They hung out drearily together, reluctantly looking through the dresses, skipping over any of the bright or pink ones they saw.

"Whoa, Kate like," Kate stopped suddenly. Ana pulled it out and examined it.

"I love it," Ana told her. "Well, as far as love for dresses can go." It was a creamy tan color that was knee-length and strapless. It was very plain, yet very pretty.

Kate tried it on, but briefly because Ana kept laughing at her for being in a dress. Shannon had come over and declared her love for it as well.

"Kate, I know my brother more than he does," Shannon had said. "He will love you in it."

Kate couldn't help but grin broadly and rush over to pay for it. Rose had joined her and showed Kate the dress she was getting; it was sleeveless and white with a tint of grey to it, and it came with a shawl to wrap around her shoulders.

Those who had bought theirs already hung around with everyone else-Kate only because Ana begged her to.

Now that four people had their dresses, it was much easier to find one for everyone else, because they had help. Rose and Cindy had found one for Sun; it was bright pink with white flowers placed randomly on the whole thing. Kate and Sarah worked to find one for Penny that was knee-length and black. The sleeves were long, yet left her neck and shoulders bare. Sarah and Cindy also joined together to find Libby a lavender one with strings that tied around her neck as sleeves.

"Of course you five are the ones who don't have dresses yet," Sun said, referring to Ana, Shannon, Claire, Juliet, and Nikki.

They had agreed to search one more store before heading to dinner. By now almost everyone was tired of shopping-all except Shannon and Nikki-and Ana was just about ready to die.

Juliet and Claire both spotted theirs the second they walked into the store. They discussed quickly before rushing off to the dressing rooms. Claire's was sleeveless and red with a gold trim around each edge, and long elbow-length gloves to match. Juliet's, however, was a light, lime green and two inch wide sleeves.

This left three people who were still looking. While walking around with Juliet and Naomi, Charlotte froze. She stood there glancing back and forth from the rack of dresses to Ana, sitting in the corner, holding her head in frustration. "Hey, Ana-Lucia, will you come here?"

Ana looked up, bewildered, and pushed herself off the ground. Charlotte moved herself out of the way and indicated a dress on the rack. Ana pulled it out, not grudgingly, but curiously. Her jaw dropped as she looked at it and her hands instinctively went up to the necklace that still hung around her neck.

"I just thought you would like it," Charlotte went on. "You might not, but, I'm just trying to help."

"I like it," Ana whispered. She headed into the dressing room to try it on. Shannon came over to where Naomi, Charlotte, and Juliet stood.

"What's going on?" Shannon asked Juliet.

"Ana said she likes this dress," Juliet answered. Ana came out, dressed in the ankle-length light blue dress that matched her silver and blue necklace perfectly. It was sleeveless and had gloves like Claire's, but the gloves were a translucent blue. The bottom part of the dress had a light blue lower layer and a see-through sparkly top layer that was decorated with silver stars.

"Wow," Shannon said. "Ana, you may not like it, but you sure have good tastes."

"I didn't find it," Ana told her. "She did." She pointed to Charlotte.

"Wow," Shannon reiterated. "I must admit, I don't trust you at all, but you have a great fashion sense."

"Thanks?" Charlotte said.

"Well, since you don't hate that about her," Naomi interrupted. "I found something you and Nikki might be interested in." Naomi walked over to a rack on the other side of the room. On the rack were two dresses, one of a light pink, almost salmon or yogurt colored that would go down to Shannon's knees. The other was a long, sparkling gold dress with glitter all over it that shone every color.

Shannon and Nikki both appreciated their help and bought the dresses. "We'll eat dinner before we head back," Shannon said. "But other than that, I think we're done here."

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**Can someone say LONGEST CHAPTER EVER?**


	55. Laugh It Up

**Sorry, it's been taking me a really long time to update recently because I have so many other fanfics I like to work on-you should read them!**

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It was the night of May 17th, and there were three hours until the dance. "Hey, Kate, do me a favor and call Ana over here to get ready," Shannon said. Kate shrugged and headed out the door.

"We're getting ready three hours before the prom?" Juliet questioned doubtfully.

"Uh, yeah," Claire said. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Why don't you just kill me now?" Ana yelled while Kate was dragging her into the room. "I don't want to have a stupid dress on for three hours more than I have to!"

"None of us do," Kate told her. "But we are."

"Hey, Ana, we don't have to wear the dresses quite yet," Shannon said. "Let me do your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair the way it is?" Ana asked.

"Nothing, it's perfect," Shannon assured. "All I want to do is make it better."

"But if it's perfect, than how can it-?" Ana was forced into a chair next to the mirror.

"Kate, sit," Claire ordered. "We can multi-task and have two people going at a time."

"Okay, don't worry Ana," Shannon said soothingly. "This won't take long. I'm going to keep your hair curly, but not as messy."

"So what do you think here, Shan?" Claire asked. "Straight?"

"Straight, but curled at the bottom," Shannon advised. "That okay with you, Kate?"

"Sure," Kate said, more of a question than a statement.

Half an hour later the two girls had their hair done. "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?" Shannon said. "Claire and Juliet, sit, Kate, come here and do Claire's."

Juliet's hair ended up in think, minimally curly strands. She tied it back in a low ponytail so it wouldn't fall over her shoulders. Claire's was wavy and put up into a bun.

"That leaves you, Shannon," Claire said. "Allow me."

Shannon's hair was left down, but Claire had put it into waves. "Okay, see, that only took one hour and fifteen minutes," Claire said. "Make-up probably won't take as long, and dresses should be easy, so we'll be done earlier than we thought."

Claire was right. They were dressed and ready with twenty minutes to spare. "Are your friends coming or what, Juliet?" Kate asked.

"I don't know," Juliet answered. "And they have names, you know."

"Yeah, but there's five of them, and that's a lot of names," Kate moaned.

"Come on, the guys are going to meet us out in the lounge," Shannon laughed. They all walked down the hall.

"I don't even know you!" they heard Charlie's voice yell and the other guys' laughter.

"Yes, but I know you," this voice was unfamiliar, and a girl's.

"That doesn't make a difference!" Charlie yelled back. "I've still already got a date!"

"So do I, but I'd rather go with the bassist from Drive Shaft," the girl said.

"Yes, well, that's very nice of you and everything," Charlie said rudely. "But I'm going to stick with my first answer: no! See, here comes my date now."

The girls were all looking confused at the scene before them. Charlie was shouting at some girl and the other guys were standing, grinning, behind him.

"Which one?" the girl said.

"The pretty blonde one in the red dress," Charlie answered.

The girl glared at Claire. "I hate you." She stormed off.

"A complete stranger just said she hated me," Claire said finally. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably not," Jack told her. He stepped forward and took Juliet's hand. "We should get going."

"Should I be concerned?" Claire asked Charlie as they all walked towards the cafeteria, where prom was.

"No," Charlie shook his head. "I've been getting that all week, and so has Liam. I shouldn't have yelled at her, I'm just tired of it. They just don't seem to get the picture that I'm with you."

"I get the picture," Claire informed him.

"Oh, do you?" Charlie said sarcastically. "Thanks for clearing that up."

Claire smiled as they entered the extravagantly decorated cafeteria. "C'mon," Claire said. "Let's go dance."  
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Kate realized that they had somehow managed to split their group into even smaller groups. She and Boone were sitting next to each other on a bench. "Shannon hasn't left me alone about going out with you," Kate told him.

"I'm not surprised," Boone shrugged. "But hey, I'm not bugging Sayid about them, so you just tell her to back off."

"Somehow I doubt that will work," Kate said. They sat in silence for a minute before Boone burst out laughing.

"What is up with you?" Kate asked.

"You…in a dress. It's hilarious," Boone grinned. "I can tell how much you hate it."

"Oh, laugh it up!" Kate exclaimed, shoving him a bit. "You would hate it too. I hate it on me."

"I like it," Boone said. Kate rolled her eyes.

"You want to just shut up and dance?" Kate suggested.

"Sure," Boone said. "Or I could shut up and do this." He leaned closer to kiss her.

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Jack and Juliet were leaning against a wall and drinking some punch. "This really isn't different from any other dances, despite whatever Shannon and Claire say," Juliet said.

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "In all of our other dances something interesting would-,"

Jack was interrupted when they heard a loud crash and a teacher yelling from outside. They exchanged a glance quickly before simultaneously dashing out of the glass door to the outdoors. No one was there, but they did see the school's wall, which was quite different than it usually was.

Someone had spray-painted it several different colors. It clearly wasn't made to mean anything-just to fool around probably. "Well there's something interesting," Juliet laughed. "I wonder who did it."

"It seems like something Sawyer would do," Jack said.

"Can't be, Sawyer's right inside with Ana," Juliet nodded towards the building.

"We should figure out who did it," Jack said.

"Yeah," Juliet agreed. "But not now; we should go and dance."

Juliet grabbed Jack's hand and began to pull him back towards the cafeteria, but Jack said, "Juliet, look."

He was pointing at a small section of the graffiti, where in miniscule black paint was the number 108.

"Well I think we have a good idea who did it now," Juliet smiled. "We should go back inside now."

"Wait, no," Jack protested. "It's nice out here. No one else is out here-well, they could be," he indicated the wall. "But can we just stay out here by ourselves for a while?"

"Yeah, I guess," Juliet shrugged.

"You look great, Juliet," Jack said after a while.

"Thank you, Jack," Juliet said. "I'm glad I came here with you, Jack, you are the only person who has always trusted me and who still does. Who always will."

"You got that right," Jack said.

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"I'm sorry, Ana," Sawyer said. They were both sitting at a table together.

"What?" Ana questioned.

"I never said I was sorry," Sawyer shrugged. "For…you know…what I did."

"Yeah, I know you didn't, but I know you are," Ana said.

"I couldn't tell that you knew," Sawyer mumbled. "It seems like you're not the same as you were. You're acting a bit different than you used to, and I don't know why."

"Well if that's true than I didn't mean it to be," Ana said.

"I don't believe that," Sawyer said. "Something's wrong. Something about you seems different, I don't know, like a part of you is-,"

He was interrupted when he suddenly found Ana's lips on his. After a while, she broke the kiss and asked, "Does that seem any different?"

"No," Sawyer grinned. "That's exactly how I remember you."

"I guess you were wrong then," Ana said smugly.

"No, no, not necessarily," Sawyer said. "You know, there could have been something different and I didn't notice it. Maybe you should try it again and see."  
Ana grinned and did so. "Yeah, you know, maybe there was something different," Sawyer said. "I think you should do it one more time."

"Shut up," Ana demanded.

"What ever happened to the Ana who would push me off of a bench because I called her Hot Lips?" Sawyer asked.

Ana smiled at the memory. "I didn't think you would want that back."

"Maybe you're right," Sawyer considered. "What happened to the Ana that would jump into a pool at the same time with me without saying a word?"

Ana shrugged. "I don't think I've changed."

"I do," Sawyer said. "Except for your kisses, that is." Ana smirked and kissed him again. "Hot Lips," he added. She grinned and pushed him off of his seat.

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"You look fantastic," Sayid said to Shannon.

"You've said that before," Shannon pointed out.

"I have not," Sayid said defensively.

"Fantastic, beautiful, incredible; Sayid, they're all the same thing," Shannon laughed.

"Which do you prefer?" Sayid asked.

"I prefer that you would just dance," Shannon said. Sayid shrugged and did what she said.

"Now it seems too quiet," Shannon said after a minute.

"What do you _want_?" Sayid said exasperatedly.

"I _want_ to be with you," Shannon answered.

"Well what are you complaining about then?" Sayid asked.

"I'm complaining because you haven't kissed me yet tonight," Shannon smiled innocently.

Sayid kissed her like she said. "There. Better?"

"Much," Shannon smiled again and leaned in to kiss him again.

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I see in the near future just TWO CHAPTERS LEFT!!


	56. Eggs?

**Okay I have a serious case of writer's block on this story.**

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After prom was over everyone went back to their room and basically just crashed. They were extremely tired.

The boys awoke to Sawyer getting up and yelling, "11 days of school left!"

They all groaned. "What time is it?" Charlie asked sleepily.

"6:30," Sawyer replied cheerfully.

"What?" Sayid said. "Class doesn't start for another 2 ½ hours."

"Yeah, I know," Sawyer shrugged. "I figured we could go for an early start today. Come on; let's go wake the girls up."

The guys groggily got ready, for Sawyer refused to let them go back to sleep. He opened the door and rushed out with the door with the others on his tail.

With several sickening crunches, the boys slipped and fell to the ground. They were all piled on top of one another with wet spots expanding on their shoes, shirts, and pants. "What are we lying on?" Sayid asked finally.

"I don't want to know," Charlie said. They all slowly pushed themselves up.

"It looks like…" Jack began, pulling a bit of transparent gooey material off of his shirt. "Eggs?"

They all stared down and sure enough, right in front of their door was a pile of now cracked eggs. Poor Sayid, being the last one out, had gotten the worst of it, and was now spitting yolk out of his mouth and pulling it out of his hair.

"Who did this?" Sawyer asked angrily.

"I don't know, but whoever it is has a big grudge against this entire building," Charlie said. He pointed down the hall and they saw that every door had eggs in front of it.

"This could get interesting," Jack said.

"Man, if a teacher catches us up, we're going to get blamed," Sawyer said.

"Then let's go back to bed like we wanted to before," Charlie said loudly.

"No, wait, Jack-o is right," Sawyer smirked. "This could get interesting. And we could help it."

"What are you planning?" Sayid asked, but Sawyer didn't answer. Instead he crept over to the girls' room and knocked casually on the door.

It took a while for someone to get up and answer and it turned out to be Juliet. "Sawyer? What do you want?"

"You all gotta come out here quick," Sawyer said with fake urgency in his voice. "Seriously, it's an emergency."

Juliet looked confused for a moment and didn't notice all the eggs on her doorstep. She got the other three up and they all gathered at the doorway. "What?"

"Come here," Charlie called from down the hall. They looked over and stepped out, right before they all toppled to the ground.

The guys broke out laughing. "That was priceless," Charlie said through his laughter. He gave Sawyer a hi-five.

"Which one of you did this?" Shannon asked angrily.

"None of us," Jack said honestly. "The same thing happened to us, and apparently everyone. Really, look at us. We're as covered in the stuff as you are."

"So you decided to let us know this way?" Kate grumbled, wiping yolk off of her hands.

"Yep," Sawyer said happily. "C'mon, let's go see how the other girls react."

"Ana won't be happy with you," Claire grinned but she, along with the other girls, walked over to the next door room as well.

Sawyer knocked cheerily on the door and Sun answered. "What are you doing here this early?" Curiously, Ana and Libby gathered around her too.

"Come out here," Sawyer nodded to the hallway. The girls inquisitively followed him out there but couldn't get more than two steps before tumbling to the ground like everyone else. Sawyer caught Ana before she hit the ground, because if he hadn't her head would've hit the wall.

"Why, hello there," Sawyer grinned. Ana pushed him back towards the others, who were all laughing their heads off.

"What is wrong with you?" Ana growled. "Don't you understand that someone could've gotten seriously hurt?"

"I caught ya', didn't I?" Sawyer said. "And anyway, you can see that you aren't the only ones for this to happen to." He beckoned to himself and down the hallway. "Someone thought this would be funny."

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About two hours later they all found themselves walking to class with a bunch of disgruntled people their age and older. Apparently the prank wasn't only for their building, for most of everyone got it.

"Do you hear something?" Kate asked as they neared the first classroom.

"Yeah…" Shannon said. "It sounds like…but no, it can't be."

They opened the door of the classroom and about five dogs came racing into the hall, barking wildly. They sped down the hallway and out of sight.

"Wow," Shannon said slowly. "What a weird day this has been already."

"It just got weirder," Boone said as he peered into the classroom.

Everything was upside down. The desks, posters, computers, chairs, every single thing movable was flipped upside down.

"What is going on here today?" Claire asked to one in particular, and no one answered.

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Every classroom had the same situation. The main subject of talk that day among the younger students was 'what is going on?'

Jack pointed out at lunch that it was only those whose first year it was at the school that was confused. This raised even more questions.

Throughout the entire day no one figured out what happened. And the next morning they found something strange in the hallways. Strings hanging from the roof in the halls held various fruits. All day long people had fruit hitting their heads.

But the next night when everyone was silently doing homework Charlie burst out laughing.

They stared at him for a moment, hoping for explanation. "What?" Sawyer asked when he said nothing.

"I can't believe how ignorant I've been," Charlie said. "Can you not think of why now, at the end of the year, these weird things have been happening?"

After about ten seconds of thinking, Sawyer joined in on Charlie's laughter. "How did I not see that?" he chuckled.

"What?" Shannon said. "I don't get it."

"Senior pranks," Charlie and Sawyer said simultaneously through their laughter.

"Oh, that makes sense!" Claire said. "I remember last year in my middle school we did that…usually it's only a high school thing though. That is so funny!"

"So the seniors hung fruit from the ceiling?" Boone asked. He had untied a banana from the roof and was now eating it. "That's weird. How did they not get caught?"

"Beats me," Charlie said. "But I can't see why I didn't see that before."

"I can't see how you were the first one to get it," Sawyer said.

"I've pulled my fair share of pranks, senior or otherwise," Charlie grinned. "I can usually recognize it when I see it."

They continued working on their homework, now chatting merrily because things were all cleared up. About fifteen minutes later, when Jack, Sawyer, Claire, and Kate had gotten into an extreme Five Card Draw match, Hurley came over to them.

"Hey dudes, dude-ettes," he greeted. They all said 'hi Hurley' in some way or another.

"So, uh," Hurley said. "I just wanted to remind you guys about the party I'm hosting at the end of the year."  
The group gasped in realization. "I completely forgot," Charlie shook his head. "What day and time, Hurley?"

"Right after school on the last day I'm taking people by bus out to the beach," Hurley explained.

"Wait, I'm confused," Juliet said. "What are we talking about here?"

"I'm holding a party at the end of the year," Hurley told her. "It will be at the beach on my boat."

"Didn't you say it was your uncle's boat at the beginning of the year?" Claire said.

"Yeah, I kind of lied," Hurley said awkwardly. "I won the lottery and didn't want you to think I was crazy."

"Why would we think you're crazy just because you won the lottery?" Jack asked.

"You won the lottery?" Juliet said, completely oblivious.

"Yeah," Hurley said. "It was the worst thing that could ever happen to me." They stared at him, open-mouthed. "Dudes, it's cursed. The numbers I played cursed me. Ever since I won, bad things happen wherever I am. My grandpa died, my mom's house caught on fire, and the chicken shack that I bought got hit by a meteor…a meteorite, actually."

"Hurley, tons of people think that they're cursed," Jack said. "Believe me; it's all in my head."

"Well then it's not only in my head," Hurley said. "I volunteered at a Mental Hospital over the summer, and there was this dude named Lenny. He would never talk; he would only say those numbers over and over again. 4 8 15 16 23 42-and I played them in the lottery."

"Come on Hurley," Kate smiled. "Let's think on the bright side. I mean, you must have won, what, at least 10 million dollars?"

"Actually, it was 114 million," Hurley said, and they were even more shocked. "But now, with stocks and stuff, it's 156 million. So…that's beside the point. I'll see you all there, right?"

"Definitely," Sawyer nodded. "If we can survive _9 more days of school_!" He jumped up and randomly gave Sayid a hi-five.

"Okay, whatever dude," Hurley said. "I'm going to go invite some other people. See you around."

"Wait, Hurley," Juliet said urgently. "Can I talk to you please?"

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**This is a pretty long chapter too…and now, the last chapter (hopefully another long one) will be talking about summer on the nice ocean at Hurley's boat party!**


	57. Hugo's Boat Party

**Please enjoy this last chapter before I post up their summer plans. Just to let you know beforehand I'm going to leave you with a cliffhanger here so you'll want to read Summer: A Break From Campus even more. Please enjoy!**

It all happened so quickly, but that was probably only because most of everyone tried to rush out of the classroom as fast as they could. Several people slipped on flying papers or forgot their bags.

They were screaming through the halls like a huge mob charging in one direction, with Sawyer in the lead. They were all going to the same place anyway; they wanted to be the first on the bus to Hugo's Boat Party.

Of course Sawyer, Charlie, and Ana were first on the first bus. "Juliet, you coming?" Jack asked as the bus was filling up quickly.

"No, no, I'll catch up later," Juliet said, with a quick glance at Hurley.

Jack shrugged and jumped into his seat before the swarm of people could squash him. When they got to the beach Hurley led them to a dock that he called Pala Ferry. He hopped on his huge yacht-like ship and lowered a platform so they could all run onto deck, where music, decorations, and snacks were already all set up.

"Where were you?" Jack asked Juliet when she arrived.

"I was going to see someone," Juliet told him. "Jack, I asked Hurley if I could invite some of my friends…"

"Oh," Jack said, sounding somewhat disheartened.

"They'll be here in a bit, Jack, we've got time without them," Juliet smiled. "Come on, let's go find the others."

They set off in the middle of the dance floor where Hurley was making an announcement. "Now we have a surprise performance from Drive Shaft!" Hurley exclaimed to cheering.

"Yeah, surprise for the band members as well as anyone else," Charlie muttered as he pushed past them with his bass in his hand. Juliet and Jack laughed.

During the song Ana walked over to them with Sawyer by her side. "Juliet, a certain group of untrustworthy people is here saying they want to see you," Ana informed her. Juliet rolled her eyes and walked past.

"Hey guys," Juliet greeted.

"Listen, I hope there aren't any hard feelings," Jack said, holding his hand out for them to shake. "Juliet trusts you, so we can too."

They all smiled weakly. "Who are you calling 'punk'?" Sawyer's voice said angrily. Jack and Juliet glanced at each other quickly before running off to find Sawyer and some unrecognizable person glaring at each other.

"Sawyer, please, calm down," Ana begged desperately.

"Danny?" Juliet questioned softly. The boy turned.

"Jules!" Danny exclaimed happily. "Hey, Ben's not too happy with you."

"Tell Ben I'm sorry," Juliet sighed. "But my place is here."

"Tell him yourself," Danny said and pointed through the crowd where Ben was standing talking to Alex and Karl.

Juliet swallowed nervously and Jack put his arm around her. She gently pushed it off and walked bravely over to Ben.

"Hey Ben, Alex, Karl," Juliet smiled.

"Hello Juliet," Ben said slowly.

"Hey," Alex and Karl both said warmly.

"Ben," Juliet began.

"You don't need to say anything," Ben interrupted her. "I don't need to hear it. I always knew you would end up here, ever since you called Jack cute."

Juliet blushed because Jack was not so far away and Alex laughed. "Ooh, Juliet, we really have to keep in touch more often," she giggled, glancing over at Jack.

"What are we doing over here?" came a familiar voice that walked over to them. Juliet gulped nervously. She hadn't seen Goodwin since they last kissed in D.C.

He smiled quickly at her. "Nothing, Goodwin," Ben said. "Juliet, don't feel you need to stay here."

Juliet nodded slowly and went back to where Jack, Ana, Sawyer, and Danny Pickett were standing. Colleen, Miles, and Naomi had joined them. There were two separate arguments going on.

"Why are you even here?" Ana yelled.

"We have every right to be here as you do!" Naomi shouted.

"No one wants you here," Ana said.

"I do," Jack and Juliet said at the same time. "Ana-Lucia," Juliet said. "Back in D.C. you were able to trust my friend Goodwin easily, why is it so hard to trust them?"

Ana's face grew red and so did Sawyer's; neither liked to recall when they were fighting. Danny, however, grinned.

Ana sighed. "I'm sorry. Please…can we just be friends?"

"Gladly," Miles said. "C'mon, Naomi, let's go see where Annie ended up."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So how do you know Hurley then?" Claire asked the girl who was sitting on the railing of the boat.

"I don't," the girl said awkwardly. "My friends were invited by one of their friends and, well, here I am."

"What was your name again?" Shannon said.

"Annie," she replied.

"Annie!" Naomi shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Just talking with some of the students," Annie told her.

"Them?" Shannon asked doubtfully. "They're your friends?"

"Listen, okay?" Miles said impatiently. "Your least trusting friend Ana-Lucia just found it in her heart to befriend us. Can you do the same?"

"Ana did?" Claire questioned. "Well, you know, I trust my friends. I think we can become great friends."

Juliet, Ana, Sawyer, and Jack found their way over there also. "Hey," she greeted. "What're you up to?"

"Nothing," Shannon shrugged. "So you invited them here then?"

"Yep," Juliet said boldly. "I also invited my friends from my old school."

"What?" Miles snapped. "So-so Ben's here?"

"I used to know a guy named Ben," Annie said dreamily. She pulled out a handmade doll from her jacket pocket. "I made this when we were little. This is supposed to be him." She laughed.

"Yeah he's here," Juliet said. "And there's no problem with that. You guys need to get along also."

"Not going to happen," Naomi said.

"Yes, going to happen," Juliet said. "Come on."

"No," Naomi shook her head. "Please, I really would rather not."

"Oh well," Juliet said and pulled them along. Annie chose to follow her friends.

"Ben!" Juliet shouted. Naomi and Miles struggled to get free from Juliet's grip.

"There's nothing to see here!" Miles said loudly. "Juliet, this really is not a good idea!"

"Hello Miles," Ben said coolly. "Hello Naomi."

"Benjamin," Miles nodded curtly. "Okay, let's go."

"I think you guys need to make a peace treaty," Juliet said to Ben.

"Ben?" Annie gasped from behind them. "Ben, is that you?"

"Annie," Ben said weakly. Annie pulled him into a hug.

"I have not seen you for years!" Annie smiled. "How have you been doing?"

"I'm excellent, and you?" Ben replied.

In all the excitement, Naomi and Miles managed to back away a few steps and then turn and run. Juliet, who noticed this a minute too late, hurried off to try and find them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the party a few people remained. They were all sitting around, just randomly talking and joking.

"This year was so perfect," Claire said as her head rested on Charlie's shoulder.

"I know, it was," Jack agreed. "We are all going to be back here next year, right?"

"No," Sayid said.

"What?!" Shannon exclaimed. "Where are you going?"

"I'm kidding," Sayid laughed. "I wanted to see what your reactions were."

"Don't _do_ that!" Shannon sighed.

"We all have to get together over the summer and see each other," Kate commented.

While everyone else was agreeing, Charlie sighed and looked down at his feet. "I'm afraid that's not going to work out right."

**THIS FANFIC IS NOW COMPLETE! Keep on the lookout for Summer: A Break From Campus!**


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